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JilpJcolm  Anderson  escapes  with  Colonel  Lesfie's  child.-Page  19. 

—Bonnie  Prince  Charlie. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 


A  TALE  OF  FONTENOY  AND  CULLODEN. 


By  G.  A.  HENTY, 


AAlthor  of  "By  Pike  and  Dyke,"   "■With  Clive  in  India,"  "The  Dragon  and 

the  Raven."  "The  Young  Carthaginian,"  "27i.e  Lion  of  the  North," 

"With   Lee   in    Virginia,"    "Captain  Bayley's  Heir," 

"Under  Drake's  Flag,"  "By  England's  Aid," 

"In  Freedom's  Cause,"    "In  the 

Beign  of  Terror,"  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  GORDON  BROWNE. 


NEW   YORK 

THE  FEDERAL  BOOK  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


11125 


PREFACE. 


My  Dear  Lads: 

I  suppose  most  of  us,  while  listening  to  the  Jacobite 
songs  of  Scotland,  songs  sometimes  martial  and  stirring, 
sometimes  plaintive  and  pathetic,  have  felt  that  our  sym- 
pathies were  all  with  Prince  Charlie  and  his  devoted  fol- 
lowers. It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  common  sense 
and  the  logic  of  hard  facts  preponderate  on  the  other  side 
of  the  scale,  and  we  may  well  congratulate  ourselves  that 
the  attempt  of  the  young  Pretender  to  win  back  the  inher- 
itance of  his  fathers  was  a  complete  and  irremediable  fail- 
ure. Like  most  of  his  race,  Prince  Charlie  possessed  in  a 
very  high  degree  the  art  of  winning  the  hearts  of  those 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He  wa^  young,  handsome, 
and  brave,  courteous  in  manner,  and  with  a  fund  of  animal 
spirits,  v/hich  enabled  him  ^o  support  the  hardships  he 
underwent  with  cheerfulness  and  good  temper.  But, 
though  well  adapted  for  the  leader  of  an  adventurous  ex- 
pedition, he  had  but  few  qualifications  which  would  have 
fitted  him  to  rule.  He  was  almost  uneducated;  his  ideas 
of  royal  prerogative  were  even  more  extreme  than  those  of 
his  ancestor  Charles  the  First;  and  as  years  went  on  he 
lost  the  characteristics  of  his  youth,  and  became  a  slovenly 
sot,  whose  manners  disgusted  all  who  came  in  contact  with 
him.     It  won]  1  have  been  far  better  for  Prince  Charlie's 

478451 


yi  PEE  FACE. 

memory  had  he  had  his  wish  and  died  at  the  head  of  his 
gallant  Highlanders  of  Culloden. 

It  was  well  indeed  for  Britain  that  the  enterprise  failed. 
Had  it  succeeded  it  would  have  inevitably  been  followed 
in  time  by  another  revolution,  another  expulsion  of  the 
Stuarts,  and  the  country  would  have  been  thrown  back  a 
century  in  the  path  of  civilization.  But,  although  unsuc- 
cessful, there  are  few  episodes  in  history  so  romantic  as 
the  attempt  on  the  part  of  Prince  Charles  to  wrest  the 
throne  of  Britain  from  the  House  of  Hanover,  and  the 
adventures  which  befell  him  from  the  time  he  landed  in 
Scotland  with  half  a  dozen  followers  to  the  day  when  a 
hunted  fugitive  he  again  gained  the  shelter  of  a  ireuch 
ship  read  like  a  chapter  of  fiction.  For  this  reason  I  have 
ohosen  the  subject  as  the  framework  of  my  story. 

Yours  sincerely, 

G.  A.  Henty. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE. 

The  Return  of  a  Prodigal 7 

CHAPTER  IL 
The  Jacobite  Agent » 26 

CHAPTER  m. 
Free 46 

CHAPTER  IV. 
In  France 63 

CHAPTER  V. 
Dettingen ^Si 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Convent  of  Our  Lady 97 

CHAPTER  Vn. 
Mother  1 115 

CHAPTER  Vni. 
Hidden  Foes 133 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Fontenoy « <  •  •  144 

CHAPTER  X. 
A  Perilous  Journey 163 


Yi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XL 

Page. 
Free 182 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  End  of  tlie  Quarrel 200 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Prince  Charles 218 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Prestonpans 236 

CHAPTER  XV. 
A  Mission 253 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  March  to  Derby 270 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
A  Baffled  Plot 288 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Culloden 305 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Fugitives 822 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Happy  Days .m«««^«**«* 840 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE   RETURN   OF   A    PRODIGAL. 

It  was  a  dnll  evening  in  the  month  of  September,  1728. 
The  apprentices  had  closed  and  barred  the  shutters  and 
the  day's  work  was  over.  Supper  was  laid  in  the  long 
room  over  the  shop,  tlie  viands  were  on  the  table,  and 
round  it  were  standing  Bailie  Anderson  and  his  wife,  his 
foreman  John  Gillespie,  and  his  two  apprentices.  Tho 
latter  were  furtively  eying  the  eatables,  and  wondering 
how  much  longer  the  grace  which  their  master  was  deliv- 
ering would  be.  Suddenly  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door 
below.  No  one  stirred  until  the  bailie  had  finished  his 
grace,  before  which  time  the  knock  had  been  twice  repeated. 

"Elspeth,  woman,"  the  bailie  said  when  he  had  brought 
the  grace  to  an  end,  "go  down  below  and  see  who  knocks 
so  impatiently;  look  through  the  grille  before  you  open 
the  door;  these  are  not  times  when  one  opens  to  the  first 
stranger  who  knocks." 

The  old  servant  who  had  been  standing  behind  her  mis- 
tress, went  downstairs.  The  door  was  opened,  and  they 
heard  an  exclamation  of  surprise  at  the  answer  to  her 
question,  "  Who  is  it  that's  knocking  as  if  the  house  be- 
longed to  him?" 

Those  gathered  upstairs  heard  the  bolts  withdrawn. 
There  was  a  confused  sound  of  talking  and  then  a  heavy 
Btep  was  heard  ascending  the  stairs,  and  without  introduc- 


8  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

tion  a  tall  man,  wrapped  in  a  cloak  and  carrying  a  child  of 
some  two  years  old,  strode  into  the  room.  He  threw  his 
hat  on  to  a  settle  and  advanced  straight  toward  the  bailie, 
who  looked  in  surprise  at  this  unceremonious  entry. 

"Don't  you  know  me,  Andrew?" 

"Heaven  preserve  us,"  the  bailie  exclaimed,  "why,  it's 
Malcolm!" 

"Malcolm  himself,"  the  visitor  repeated,  "sound  in 
wind  and  limb." 

"The  Lord  be  praised!"  the  bailie  exclaimed  as  he 
grasped  the  other's  hand  and  wrung  it  warmly.  "I  had 
thought  you  dead  years  and  years  ago.  Janet,  this  is  my 
brother  Malcolm  of  whom  you  have  often  heard  me  speak." 

"And  of  whom  you  can  have  heard  little  good,  mistress, 
if  my  brother  has  spoken  the  truth  concerning  me.  I  was 
ever  a  ne'er-do-well,  while  Andrew  stuck  hard  and  fast  to 
our  father's  trade." 

"My  husband  has  ever  spoken  with  affection  of  you,'* 
Janet  Anderson  said.  "The  bailie  is  not  given  to  speak 
ill  of  any,  much  less  of  his  own  flesh  and  blood." 

"And  now  sit  down,  Malcolm.  Supper  is  waiting,  and 
you  are,  I  doubt  not,  ready  for  it.  It  is  ill  talking  to  a 
fasting  man.  When  you  have  done  you  shall  tell  me  what 
you  have  been  doing  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  and  how  it 
comes  that  you  thus  suddenly  come  back  among  us  with 
your  boy." 

"He  is  no  boy  of  mine,"  Malcolm  said;  "but  I  will  tell 
you  all  about  it  presently.  First  let  me  lay  him  down  on 
that  settle,  for  the  poor  little  chap  is  fast  asleep  and  dead 
tired  out.  Elspeth,  roll  up  my  cloak  and  make  a  pillow 
for  him.  That's  right,  he  will  do  nicely  now.  You  are 
changed  less  than  any  of  us,  Elspeth.  Just  as  hard  to 
look  at,  and,  I  doubt  not,  just  as  soft  at  heart  as  you  used 
to  be  when  you  tried  to  shield  me  when  I  got  into  scrapes. 
And  new  to  supper," 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  9 

Little  was  said  during  the  meal;  fortunately  the  table 
■was  bounteously  spread,  for  the  newcomer's  appetite  was 
prodigious;  but  at  last  he  was  satisfied,  and  after  a  long 
drink  at  the  horn  beside  him,  which  Elspeth  had  kepfc 
filled  with  ale,  he  said: 

"There's  nothing  like  a  Scottish  meal  after  all,  Andrew. 
French  living  is  ^Yc]l  enough  for  a  time,  but  one  tires  of 
it;  and  many  a  time  when  I  have  been  lying  down  supper- 
less  on  the  sod,  after  marching  and  fighting  the  w'hole  day, 
I  have  longed  for  a  bowl  of  porridge  and  a  platter  well 
filled  with  oatmeal  cakes." 

Supper  over,  John  and  the  apprentices  retired.  Elspeth 
went  off  to  prepare  the  guest's  chamber  and  to  make  up  a 
little  bed  for  the  child. 

"Now,  brother,  let  us  hear  your  story;  but,  first  of  all, 
perhaps  you  want  to  light  your  pipe?" 

"That  do  I,"  Malcolm  replied,  "if  Mistress  Janet  has 
no  objection  thereto." 

"She  is  accustomed  to  it,"  tlie  bailie  said,  answering  for 
her.  "I  smoke  myself;  I  deem  that  tobacco,  like  other 
things,  was  given  for  our  use,  and  methinks  that  with  a 
pipe  between  the  lips  men's  brains  work  more  easily  and 
that  it  leadefch  to  pleasant  converse."* 

Janet  went  to  a  cupboard,  brought  out  two  long  pipes 
and  a  jar  of  tobacco,  placed  two  tumblers,  a  flat  bottle, 
and  a  jug  of  water  on  the  table. 

"That  is  right,"  the  bailie  said.  "I  do  not  often  touch 
strong  waters.  The  habit,  as  I  see  too  plainly,  is  a  harm- 
ful one,  and  in  this  good  city  of  Glasgow  there  are  many, 
even  of  those  so  placed  that  they  should  be  an  example  to 
their  fellows,  who  are  given  nightly  to  drink  more  than 
is  good  for  them;  but  on  an  occasion  like  the  present  I 
deem  It  no  harm  to  take  a  glass." 

"I  should  think  not,"  Malcolm  said  heartily;  "it  is  long 
since  I  tasted  a  glass  of  real  Scotch  spirit,  and  I  never  need 


10  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

an  excuse  for  taking  a  glass  of  whatever  it  be  that  comes 
iu  my  way.  Not,  Mistress  Janet,  that  I  am  a  toper,  I 
don't  say  that  at  the  sack  of  a  town,  or  at  times  when 
liquor  is  running,  so  to  speak,  to  waste,  I  am  more  back- 
V  ard  than  the  rest;  but  ray  hand  wouldn't  be  as  steady  as 
ifc  is  if  I  had  been  one  of  those  who  are  never  so  happy  as 
when  they  are  filling  themselves  with  liquor.  And  now, 
Andrew,  to  my  story.  Yon  know  that  when  I  saw  you 
j.jst— just  when  the  tronbl&s  iu  '15  began— in  spite  of  all 
your  warnings  to  the  contrary,  I  must  needs  throw  myself 
into  the  thick  of  them.  You,  like  a  wise  man,  stuck  to 
your  shop,  and  here  you  are  now  a  bailie  of  Glasgow;  while 
I,  who  have  been  wandering  over  the  face  of  the  earth 
flighting  for  tlie  cause  of  France  and  risking  my  life  a 
thousand  times  in  a  matter  which  concerned  me  in  no  way, 
liave  returned  just  as  penniless  as  I  set  out." 

"It  is  said,  brother  Malcolm,"  Janet  said  mildly,  "that 
a  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss." 

"That  is  true  enough,"  Malcolm  assented  ;  "and  yet  do 
you  know  there  are  few  rolling  stones  who,  if  their  time 
wore  to  come  over  again,  would  remain  fixed  in  their  bed. 
Of  course  we  have  not  the  pleasures  of  home,  of  wives  and 
children;  but  the  life  of  adventnre  has  its  own  joys,  which 
I,  for  one,  would  not  change  for  the  others.  However, 
brother,  as  you  know,  I  threw  myself  heart  and  soul  into 
that  business. 

"The  last  time  1  saw  you  was  just  as  I  was  starting  with 

a  score  of  others  to  make  our  way  to  join  the  Earl  of  IvI ar's 

army  at  Perth.     I  have  seen  many  an  army  since,  but 

ever  did  I  see  sixteen  thousand  finer  fighting  men  than 

ere  there  assembled.  The  Laird  of  Mackintosh  brought 
: ive  hundred  clansmen  from  Inverness-shire,  the  Marquis 
of  Huntly  had  five  hundred  horse  and  two  thousand  foot, 
and  the  Earl  Marischal  had  a  thousand  men.  The  Laird 
of    Glenlyon    brought  five   hundred   Campbell':;-,  r,nd    the 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  11 

Marqnis  of  Tullibardine  fourteen  hundred,  aud  a  score  of 
other  chiefs  of  less  power  were  there  with  their  clansmen. 
There  were  enough  men  there  to  have  done  anything  had 
they  been  properly  armed  and  led;  but  though  arms  and 
ammunition  had  been  promised  from  France,  none  came, 
and  the  Earl  of  Mar  had  so  little  decision  that  he  would 
have  wrecked  the  finest  army  that  ever  marched. 

"The  army  lay  doing  nothing  for  weeks,  and  just  before 
we  were  expecting  a  movement,  the  company  1  belonged 
to  was  sent  with  a  force  of  Highlanders  under  Mackintosh 
to  join  the  army  under  the  Lords  Derweutwater,  Ken- 
mure,  and  Nithsdale.  Lord  Derweutwater  had  risen  with 
a  number  of  other  gentlemen,  and  with  their  attendants 
and  friends  had  marched  against  Newcastle.  They  had 
done  nothing  there,  but  remained  idle  near  Hexham,  till, 
joined  by  a  force  raised  in  the  Lowlands  of  Scotland  by  the 
Earls  of  Nithsdale,  Carnwath,  and  V/iutoun,  the  united 
array  marched  north  again  to  Kelso,  where  we  joined  them. 

"We  Scots  soon  saw  that  we  had  gained  nothing  by  the 
change  of  commanders.  Lord  Derweutwater  was  ignorant 
of  military  affairs,  and  he  was  greatly  swayed  by  a  Mr, 
Forster,  who  was  somehow  at  the  head  of  the  business,  and 
who  was  not  only  incompetent,  but  proved  to  be  a  coward, 
if  not,  as  most  folks  believed,  a  traitor.  So  dissension 
soon  broke  out,  and  four  hundred  Highlanders  marched 
away  north.  After  a  long  delay  it  was  resolved  to  move 
south,  where,  it  was  said,  we  should  be  joined  by  great 
numbers  in  Lancashire;  but  by  this  time  ail  had  greatly 
lost  spirit  and  hope  in  the  enterprise.  We  crossed  the 
border  and  marched  down  through  Penrith,  Appleby,  and 
Kendal  to  Lancaster,  and  then  on  to  Preston. 

"I  was  little  more  than  a  lad,  Andrew,  but  even  to  me 
it  seemed  madness  thus  to  march  into  England  with  only 
two  thousand  men.  Of  these  twelve  hundred  were  foot, 
commanded    by   Brigadier  Mackintosh;    the   others  were 


13  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

horse.  There  were  two  troops  of  Stanhope's  dragoons 
quartered  in  Preston,  but  these  retired  when  we  neared 
the  town,  and  we  entered  without  opposition.  Next  day, 
which  was,  I  remember,  the  10th  of  November,  the  chev- 
alier was  proclaimed  king,  and  some  country  gentlemen 
with  their  tenants  came  in  and  joined  us. 

"I  suppose  it  would  have  come  to  the  same  thing  in  the 
end,  but  never  were  things  so  badly  managed  as  they  were 
by  Mr.  Forster. 

"  Preston  was  a  strong  natural  position ;  an  enemy  com- 
ing from  the  south  con  Id  only  reach  it  by  crossing  a  narrow 
bridge  over  the  river  Eibble  a  mile  and  a  half  away,  and 
this  could  have  been  held  by  a  company  against  an  army. 
From  the  bridge  to  the  town  the  road  was  so  narrow  that 
in  several  places  two  men  could  not  ride  abreast.  It  ran 
between  two  high  and  steep  banks,  and  it  was  here  that 
Cromwell  was  nearly  killed  when  he  attacked  Charles' 
troops. 

"Well,  all  these  planes,  where  we  might  certainly  have 
defended  ourselves,  were  neglected,  and  wo  were  all  kept 
in  the  town,  where  we  formed  four  main  posts.  One  was 
in  the  churchyard,  and  this  was  commanded  by  Brigadier 
Mackintosh.  In  support  of  this  was  the  volunteer  horse 
under  Derwentwater  and  the  three  other  lords.  Lord 
Charles  Murray  was  in  command  at  a  barricade  at  a  little 
distance  from  the  churchyard.  Colonel  Mackintosh  had 
charge  of  a  post  at  a  windmill;  and  the  fourth  was  in  the 
center  of  the  town. 

"Lord  Derwentwater  was  a  poor  general,  but  he  was  a 
brave  man.  He  and  his  two  brothers,  the  Eatclilfs,  rode 
about  everywhere,  setting  an  example  of  coolness,  animat- 
ing the  soldiers,  and  seeing  to  the  work  on  the  barriers. 
Two  days  after  we  reached  the  town  wo  heard  that  General 
Wilde  was  approaching.  Colonel  Farquharson  was  sent 
forward  with  a  portion  of  Mackintosh's  battalion  to  hold 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  13 

the  bridge  and  the  pass;  but  Mr.  Forster,  who  went  out  on 
horseback,  do  sooner  saw  the  enemy  approaching  than  he 
gave  orders  to  Farquharson  and  his  men  to  retreat  to  the 
town.  If  I  had  been  in  Farquharsou's  place  I  would  have 
put  a  bullet  through  the  coward's  head,  and  would  have 
defended  the  bridge  till  the  last. 

"After  that  everything  was  confusion;  the  Highlanders 
came  back  into  the  town  furious  and  disheartened.  The 
garrison  prepared  to  receive  the  enemy.  Mr.  Forster  was 
seen  no  more,  and  in  fact  he  went  straight  back  to  the 
house  where  he  was  lodging  and  took  to  his  bed,  where  he 
remained  till  all  was  over.  The  enemy  came  on  slowly. 
They  could  not  understand  why  strong  posts  should  be  left 
undefended,  and  feared  falling  in  an  ambuscade.  I  was  at 
the  post  commanded  by  Brigadier  Mackintosh.  I  had 
joined  a  company  commanded  by  Leslie  of  Gleulyon,  who 
had  brought  with  him  some  twenty  men,  and  had  made 
up  his  company  with  men  who,  like  myself,  came  up  with- 
out a  leader.  His  company  was  attached  to  Mackintosh's 
regiment. 

"  Presently  the  English  came  in  sight,  and  as  scon  as 
they  ascertained  that  we  were  still  there,  which  they  had 
begun  to  doubt,  they  attacked  ns.  We  beat  them  back 
handsomely,  and  Derwentwater  with  his  cavalry  charged 
their  dragoons  so  fiercely  that  he  drove  th.era  out  of  the 
town.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  the  fight  began, 
and  all  night  the  struggle  went  on.  At  each  of  our  posts 
we  beat  them  back  over  and  over  again.  The  town  was 
on  fire  in  half  a  dozen  places,  but  luckily  the  night  was 
still  and  the  flames  did  not  spread.  We  knew  that  it  was 
a  hopeless  fight  we  were  making;  for,  from  some  prisoners, 
we  learned  that  three  regiments  of  dragoons  were  also 
coming  up  against  us,  and  had  already  arrived  at  Clitheroe. 
From  some  inhabitants,  I  suppose,  the  enemy  learned  that 
the  street  leading  to  Wigan  had  not  been  barricaded,  and 


14  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

Lord  Forrester  brought  up  Prestou's  regiment  by  this  way, 
and  suddenly  fell  on  the  flank  of  our  barrier.  It  was  a 
tough  fight,  but  we  held  our  own  till  the  news  came  that 
Forster  had  agreed  to  capitulate. 

"I  don't  say  that  our  case  wasn't  hopeless.  We  were 
outnumbered  and  had  no  leader;  sooner  or  later  we  must 
have  been  overpowered.  Still,  no  capitulation  should  have 
been  made  except  on  the  terms  of  mercy  to  all  concerned. 
But  Forster  no  doubt  felt  safe  about  himself,  and  that  was 
all  he  cared  for;  and  the  end  showed  that  he  knew  what 
he  was  about,  for  while  all  tho  brave  young  noblemen,  and 
numbers  of  others,  were  either  executed  or  punished  in 
other  ways,  Forster,  who  had  been  the  leading  spirit  who 
had  persuaded  them  to  rise,  and  led  them  into  this  strait, 
was  after  a  short  imprisonment  suffered  to  go  free.  I  tell 
you,  brother  Andrew,  if  I  were  to  meet  him  now,  even  if 
it  were  in  a  church,  I  would  drive  my  dagger  into  his 
heart. 

"However,  there  we  were.  So  furious  were  we  that  it 
was  with  difficulty  the  officers  could  prevent  us  from  sally- 
ing out  sword  in  hand  and  trying  to  cut  our  way  through 
the  enemy.  As  to  Forster,  if  he  had  appeared  in  the 
streets  he  would  have  been  hewn  to  pieces.  However,  it 
was  useless  to  resist  now;  the  English  troops  marched  in 
and  we  laid  down  our  arms,  and  our  battalions  marched 
into  a  church  and  were  guarded  as  prisoners.  It  was  not 
a  great  army  they  had  taken,  for  there  were  but  one  thou- 
sand four  hundred  and  ninety  captured,  including  noble- 
men, gentlemen,  and  officers. 

"Many  of  us  wore  wounded  more  or  less.  I  had  got  a 
slice  on  the  shoulder  from  a  dragoon's  sword.  This  I 
gained  when  rushing  out  to  rescue  Leslie,  who  had  been 
knocked  down,  and  would  have  been  slain  by  three  dra- 
goons had  I  not  stood  over  him  till  some  more  of  our  men 
rushed  out  and  carried  him  in.     He  was  not  badly  hurt, 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  15 

the  sword  having  torned  as  it  cut  through  his  bounet. 
My  action  won  his  regard,  and  from  that  time  until  a 
month  since  Tve  have  never  been  separated.  Under  a 
strong  escort  of  soldiers  we  were  marched  south.  In  most 
places  the  country  people  mocked  us  as  we  passed,  but 
here  and  there  we  saw  among  the  crowds  who  gathered  in 
the  streets  of  the  towns  through  which  we  passed,  faces 
which  expressed  pity  and  sympathy. 

'•  We  were  not  badly  treated  on  the  march  by  our  guard, 
and  had  little  to  complain  of.  When  we  reached  Barnet 
we  fell  out  as  usual  when  tlie  march  was  over,  and  I  went 
up  to  the  door  of  a  house  and  asked  a  woman,  who  looked 
pityingly  at  us,  for  a  driuk  of  water.  She  brought  me 
some,  and  while  I  drank  she  said : 

"'We  are  Catholics  and  well-wishers  of  the  chevalier: 
if  you  can  manage  to  slip  in  here  after  it  is  dark  we  will 
furnish  you  with  a  disguise,  and  will  direct  you  to  friends 
who  will  pass  yon  on  until  yon  can  escape.* 

"'Can  you  give  me  disguises  for  two?'  I  asked.  'I 
will  not  go  without  my  captain.' 

"'Yes,'  she  said,  'for  two,  but  no  more.' 

"'I  will  steal  away  after  dark,'  I  said  as  I  gave  her  back 
the  jug. 

"I  told  Leslie  what  had  happened,  and  he  agreed  to  join 
me  in  time  to  escape,  for  there  was  no  saying  what  fate 
might  befiill  us  in  London;  and,  indeed,  the  very  next 
morning  severities  commenced,  the  whole  of  the  troops 
being  obliged  to  suffer  the  indignity  of  having  their  arms 
tied  behind  them,  and  so  being  marched  into  London. 

"After  it  was  dark  Leslie  and  I  managed  to  steal  away 
from  our  guards,  who  were  not  very  watchful,  for  our 
uniform  would  at  once  have  betrayed  us,  and  the  country 
people  would  have  seized  and  handed  us  over.  The  wom.an 
was  on  the  watch,  and  as  soon  as  we  neared  the  door  she 
opened  it.     Her  husband  was  with  her  and  received  ns 


16  BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE. 

kindly.  He  at  once  furnished  ns  with  the  attire  of  two 
countrymen,  and,  letting  us  out  by  a  back  way,  started 
"with  us  across  the  country. 

"After  walking  twenty  miles  he  brought  us  to  the  house 
of  another  adherent  of  the  chevalier,  where  we  remained 
all  day.  So  we  were  passed  on  until  we  reached  the  coast, 
where  we  lay  hid  for  some  days  until  an  arrangement  was 
made  with  the  captain  of  a  fishing-boat  to  take  us  to  sea, 
and  either  to  land  ns  at  Calais  or  to  put  us  on  board  a 
Trench  fisliing-boat.     So  we  got  over  without  trouble. 

"Long  before  that,  as  you  know,  the  business  had  virtu- 
ally come  to  an  end  here.  The  Earl  of  Mar's  army  lay 
week  after  week  at  Perth,  till  at  last  it  met  the  enemy 
under  Argyle  at  Sheriflmuir. 

"You  know  how  that  went.  The  Highland  clans  in 
the  right  and  center  carried  all  before  them,  and  drove  the 
enemy  from  the  field,  but  on  the  left  they  beat  us  "badly. 
So  both  parties  claimed  the  victory.  But,  victory  or  de- 
feat, it  was  fatal  to  the  cause  of  the  chevalier.  Half  the 
Highland  clans  went  off  to  their  homes  that  night,  and 
Mar  had  to  fall  back  to  Perth. 

"Well,  that  was  really  the  end  of  it.  The  chevalier 
landed,  and  for  awhile  our  hopes  rose.  He  did  nothing, 
and  our  hopes  fell.  At  last  he  took  ship  and  went  away, 
and  the  affair  was  over,  except  for  the  hangings  and 
slaughterings. 

"Leslie,  like  most  of  the  Scottish  gentlemen  who  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  France,  took  service  with  the  French 
king,  and,  of  course,  I  did  the  same.  It  would  have  done 
your  heart  good  to  see  how  the  Scottish  regiments  fought 
on  many  a  field;  the  very  best  troops  of  France  were  never 
before  us,  and  many  a  tough  field  was  decided  by  our 
charge.  Leslie  was  a  cornet.  He  was  about  my  age;  and 
you  know  I  was  but  twenty  when  Sheriffmuir  was  fought. 
He  rose  to  be  a  colonel,  and  would  have  given  me  a  pair 


BONNIE  PRINCE  GEA  ELIE.  17 

of  colors  over  aud  over  again  if  I  would  have  taken  them ; 
but  I  felt  more  comfortable  among  our  troopers  than  I. 
should  have  done  among  the  officers,  who  were  almost  all 
men  of  good  Highland  family;  so  I  remained  Leslie's 
right  hand. 

"A  braver  soldier  never  swung  a  leg  over  saddle;  but 
he  was  always  in  some  love  affair  or  another.  Why  he 
didn't  marry  I  couldn't  make  out.  I  suppose  he  could 
never  stick  long  enough  to  one  woman.  However,  some 
four  years  ago  he  got  into  an  affair  more  serious  than  any 
he  had  been  in  before,  and  this  time  he  stuck  to  it  in  right 
earnest.  Of  course  she  was  precisely  one  of  the  women  he 
oughtn't  to  have  fallen  in  love  with,  though  I  for  one 
couldn't  blame  him,  for  a  prettier  creature  was  not  to  be 
found  in  France.  Unfortunately  she  Avas  the  only  daugh- 
ter of  the  Marquis  de  Uecambonrs,  one  of  the  wealthiest 
and  most  powerful  of  French  nobles,  and  there  was  no 
more  chance  of  his  giving  his  consent  to  her  throwing  her- 
self away  upon  a  Scottish  soldier  of  fortune  than  to  her 
going  into  a  nunnery;  less,  in  fact.  However,  she  was  as 
much  in  love  with  Leslie  as  he  was  with  her,  and  so  they 
got  secretly  married.  Two  years  ago  this  child  was  born, 
but  she  managed  somehow  to  keep  it  from  her  father,  who 
was  all  this  time  urging  her  to  marry  the  Duke  de  Cha- 
teau rouge. 

"At  last,  as  ill  luck  would  have  it,  he  shut  her  up  in  a 
convent  just  a  week  before  she  had  arranged  to  fly  with 
Leslie  to  Germany,  where  he  intended  to  take  service  until 
her  father  came  round.  Leslie  would  have  got  her  out 
somehow;  but  his  regiment  was  ordered  to  the  frontier, 
and  it  was  eighteen  mouths  before  we  returned  to  Paris, 
where  the  child  had  been  in  keeping  with  some  people 
with  whom  he  had  placed  it.  The  very  evening  of  his  re- 
turn I  was  cleaning  bis  arms  when  he  rushed  into  the 
room. 


18  RONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"'All  is  discovered,'  he  said;  'here  is  my  signet-ring, 
go  at  once  and  get  the  child,  and  make  your  way  with  it 
to  Scotland,  take  all  the  money  m  the  escritoire,  quick!' 

"I  heard  feet  approaching,  and  dashed  to  the  bureau, 
and  transferred  the  bag  of  Jonis  there  to  my  pocket.  An 
official  with  two  followers  entered. 

"'Colonel  Leslie,'  he  said,  'it  is  ray  duty  to  arrest  you 
hy  order  of  his  gracious  majesty,'  and  he  held  out  an 
order  signed  by  the  king. 

"'I  am  unconscious  of  having  done  any  wrong,  sir,  to 
his  majesty,  whom  1  have  served  for  the  last  sixteen  years. 
However  it  is  not  for  me  to  dispute  his  orders-,*  thereupon 
he  unbackled  his  sword  and  handed  it  to  the  officers. 
'You  will  look  after  the  things  till  I  return,  Malcolm. 
As  i  am  sure  I  can  clear  myself  of  any  charge  that 
may  be  brought  against  me,  I  trust  to  bo  speedily  back 
again.' 

"'Your  trooper  need  not  trouble  himself,' the  officer 
said,  'the  official  with  me  will  take  charge  of  everything, 
and  will  at  once  affix  my  seal  to  all  your  effects.' 

"I  went  downstairs  and  saw  the  colonel  enter  a  carriage 
with  the  two  officials,  then  1  went  straight  to  the  major. 
'Colonel  Leslie  has  been  arrested,  sir,  on  what  charge  I 
know  not.  He  has  intrusted  a  commission  to  me.  There- 
fore, if  you  find  I  am  absent  from  parade  in  the  morning 
you  will  understand  I  am  carrying  out  his  orders.' 

"The  major  was  thunderstruck  at  the  news,  but  told 
me  to  do  as  the  colonel  had  ordered  me,  whatever  it  might 
be.  1  mounted  the  colonel's  horse  at  once  and  rode  to  the 
house  where  the  child  was  in  keeping.  The  people  knew 
me  well,  as  I  had  often  been  there  with  messages  from  the 
colonel.  When  I  showed  them  the  signet-ring,  and  told 
them  that  I  had  orders  to  take  the  child  to  his  father,  they 
made  no  opposition.  I  said  I  would  return  for  biin  as 
soon  as  it  was  dusk.     I  then  went  and  purchased  a  suit  of 


BONNIE  PllINGE  CHARLIE.  ID 

civilian  clothes,  and  retnruing  to  tiie  honse  attired  myself 
in  these,  and  taking  the  child  on  the  saddle  before  me, 
rode  for  the  frontier. 

''Following  unfrequented  roads,  traveling  otjly  at  night, 
and  passing  a  day  in  a  wood,  I  passed  the  frontier  unmo- 
lested, and  made  my  way  to  Ostend,  where  I  sold  the  horse 
and  took  passage  in  the  first  ship  sailing  for  Leith.  I  ar- 
rived there  tv\^o  days  ago,  and  have  walked  here,  with  an 
occasional  lift  in  a  cart;  and  here  I  am,  brother  Andrew, 
to  ask  you  for  hospitality  for  awhile  for  myself  and  Leslie's 
boy.  I  have  a  hundred  louis,  but  these,  of  course,  belong 
to  the  child.  As  for  myself,  I  confess  I  have  nothing; 
saving  has  never  been  in  my  line." 

"  You  are  heartily  welcome,  Malcolm,  as  long  as  yon 
choose  to  stop;  but  I  trust  that  ere  long  you  will  hear  of 
Colonel  Leslie." 

"I  trust  so,"  Malcolm  said;  "but  if  you  knew  the  court 
of  France  as  well  as  I  do  you  would  not  feel  very  sanguine 
about  it.     It  is  easier  to  get  into  a  prison  than  out  of  one," 

"But  the  colonel  has  committed  no  crime!"  the  bailie 
said. 

"His  chance  would  be  a  great  deal  better  if  he  had," 
Malcolm  laughed.  "A  colonel  of  one  of  his  majesty's 
Scottish  regiments  can  do  a  good  deal  in  the  way  of  crime 
without  much  harm,  befalling  him;  but  when  it  comes  to 
marrying  the  daughter  of  a  nobleman  who  is  a  great  per- 
sonage at  court,  without  his  consent,  it  is  a  different  affair 
altogether,  I  etpi  tell  you.  Leslie  has  powerful  friends, 
and  his  bra|]ifiV  oilicers  will  do  what  they  can  for  him;  but 
I  can  tell  you  services  at  the  court  of  France  go  for  very 
little.  Influence  is  everything,  and  as  the  nobleman  the 
marquis  intended  to  be  the  husband  of  his  daughter  is  also 
a  great  personage  at  court  and  a  friend  of  Louis',  there  is 
no  saying  how  serious  a  matter  they  may  make  of  it.  Meu 
have  been  kept  prisoners  for  life  for  a  far  less  serious  h\\\A~ 
ness  than  tLi;i." 


^0  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"But  supposing  he  is  released,  does  he  know -where  to 
communicate  with  you?" 

"I  am  afraid  he  doesn't,"  Malcolm  said  ruefully.  "He 
knows  that  I  come  from  Glasgow,  but  that  is  all.  Still, 
when  he  is  freed,  no  doubt  he  will  come  over  himself  to 
look  for  his  sou,  and  I  am  sure  to  hear  of  his  being  here." 

"You  might  do,  and  you  might  not,"  the  bailie  said. 
"Still,  we  must  hope  for  the  best,  Malcolm.  At  any  rate 
1  am  in  no  haste  for  the  colonel  to  come.  Now  I  have 
got  yon  home  again  after  all  these  years,  I  do  not  wish  to 
lose  you  again  in  a  hnrry." 

Malcolm  only  remained  for  a  few  weeks  at  his  brother's 
house.  The  restraint  of  life  at  the  bailie's  was  too  much 
for  him.  Andrew's  was  a  well-ordered  household.  The 
bailie  was  methodical  and  regular,  a  leading  figure  in  the 
kirk,  far  stricter  than  were  most  men  of  his  time  as  to 
undue  consumption  of  liquor,  strong  in  exhortation  in 
season  and  out  of  season.  His  wife  was  kindly  but  precise, 
and  as  outspoken  as  Andrew  himself.  For  the  first  day  or 
two  the  real  affection  which  Andrew  had  for  his  younger 
brother,  and  the  pleasure  he  felt  at  his  return,  shielded 
Malcolm  from  comment  or  rebuke;  but  after  the  very  first 
day  the  bailie's  wife  had  declared  to  herself  that  it  was 
impossible  that  Malcolm  could  long  remain  an  inmate  of 
the  house.  She  was  not  inhospitable,  and  would  have 
made  great  sacrifices  in  some  directions  for  the  long-missing 
brother  of  her  husband;  but  his  conduct  outraged  all  the 
best  feelings  of  a  good  Scotch -housewife. 

Even  on  that  first  day  he  did  not  come  punctually  to 
his  meals.  He  was  away  about  the  town  looking  up  old 
acquaintance,  came  in  at  dinner  and  again  at  supper  after 
the  meal  had  already  been  begun,  and  dropped  into  his 
place  and  began  to  eat  without  saying  a  word  of  grace.  He 
stamped  about  the  house  as  if  he  had  cavalry  spurs  still  on 
his  heels;  talked  in  a  voice  that  could  be  heard  from  attic 


BONNIE  PRINGF  CHARLIE.  21 

to  "basement;  used  French  and  Flemish  oaths  which  horri- 
fied the  good  lady,  although  she  did  not  understand  them; 
smoked  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  whereas  Andrew  always 
confined  himself  to  his  after-snpper  pipe,  and,  in  spite  of 
his  assertions  on  the  previous  evening,  consumed  an  amount 
of  liquor  which  horrified  the  good  woman. 

At  his  meals  he  talked  loudly,  kept  the  two  apprentices 
in  a  titter  with  his  stories  of  campaigning,  spoke  slightingly 
of  the  city  authorities,  and  joked  the  bailie  with  a  freedom 
and  roughness  which  scandalized  her.  Andrew  was  slow 
to  notice  the  incongruity  of  his  brother's  demeanor  and 
bearing  with  the  atmosphere  of  the  house,  although  he 
soon  became  dimly  conscious  that  there  was  a  jarring  ele- 
ment in  the  air.  At  the  end  of  a  week  Malcolm  broached 
the  subject  to  him. 

"Andrew,"  he  said,  "you  are  a  good  fellow,  though  yoa 
are  a  bailie  and  an  elder  of  the  kirk,  and  I  thank  you  for 
the  hearty  welcome  you  have  given  me,  and.  for  your  invi- 
tation to  stay  for  a  long  time  with  you;  but  it  will  not  do. 
Janet  is  a  good  woman  and  a  kindly,  but  I  can  see  that  I 
keep  her  perpetually  on  thorns.  In  good  truth,  fifteen 
years  of  campaigning  are  but  an  indifferent  preparation  for 
a  man  as  an  inmate  of  a  respectable  household.  I  did  not 
quite  know  myself  how  thoroughly  I  had  become  a  devil- 
may-care  trooper  until  I  came  back  to  my  old  life  here. 
The  ways  of  your  house  would  soon  be  as  intolerable  to 
me  as  my  ways  are  to  your  good  wife,  and  therefore  it  is 
better  by  far  that  before  any  words  have  passed  between 
you  and  me,  and  while  we  are  as  good  friends  as  on  the 
evening  when  I  returned,  I  should  get  out  of  this.  I  met 
an  old  friend  to-day,  one  of  the  lads  who  went  with  me 
from  Glasgow  to  join  the  Earl  of  Mar  at  Perth.  He  is 
well-to-do  now,  and  trades  in  cattle,  taking  them  in  droves 
down  into  England.  For  the  sake  of  old  times  he  has 
offered  me  employment,  and  methinks  it  will  suit  me  as 
well  as  any  other." 


cj*.^  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE, 

"But  you  cannot  surely  be  going  as  a  drover,  Malcolm !" 

*°Y/hy  not?  The  life  is  as  good  as  any  other.  I  couM 
rot  sit  down,  after  all  these  years  of  roving,  to  an  indoor 
life.  I  must  either  do  that  or  cross  the  water  again  and 
take  service  abroad.  I  am  ouly  six-and-thirty  yet,  and  am 
good  for  another  fifteen  years  of  soldiering,  and  right  gladly 
•would  I  go  back  if  Leslie  were  again  at  the  head  of  his 
regiment,  but  I  have  been  spoiled  by  him.  He  ever  treated 
me  as  a  companion  and  as  a  friend  rather  than  as  a  trooper 
in  his  regiment,  and  1  should  miss  him  sorely  did  I  enter 
any  other  service.  Then,  too,  I  would  fain  be  here  to  be 
ready  to  join  him  again  if  he  sends  for  me  or  comes,  and  I 
should  wish  to  keep  an  eye  always  on  his  boy.  You  will 
continue  to  take  charge  of  hira,  won't  you,  Andrew?  He 
is  still  a  little  strange,  but  he  takes  to  Elspeth,  and  will 
give  little  trouble  when  he  once  learns  the  language." 

"  I  don't  like  it  at  all,  Malcolm,"  the  bailie  said. 

"No,  Andrew,  but  you  must  feel  it  is  best.  I  doubt 
not  that  ere  this  your  wife  has  told  you  her  troubles  con- 
cerning me." 

As  the  bailie  on  the  preceding  night  had  listened  to  a 
long  string  of  complaints  and  remonstrances  on  the  part 
of  his  wife  as  to  his  brother's  general  conduct  he  could  not 
deny  the  truth  of  Malcolm's  supposition. 

"Just  so,  Andrew,"  Malcolm  went  on;  "I  knew  that  it 
must  be  so.  Mistress  Janet  has  kept  her  lips  closed  firm 
to  me,  but  I  could  see  how  difficult  it  was  for  her  some- 
times to  do  so.  It  could  not  be  otherwise.  I  am  as  much 
out  of  place  here  as  a  wolf  in  a  sheepfold.  iVs  to  the 
droving,  I  shall  not  mention  to  all  I  meet  that  I  am 
brother  to  one  of  the  bailies  of  Glasgow.  I  shall  like  the 
life.  The  rough  pony  I  shall  ride  will  differ  in  his  paces 
from  my  old  charger,  but  at  least  it  will  bo  life  in  the 
saddle.  I  shall  be  earning  an  honest  living;  if  I  take 
mora  than  is  good  for  me  I  aiay  get  a  broken  head  and 


BONNIE  PBINCE  CHARLIE.  23 

none  be  the  wiser,  whereas  if  I  remain  here  and  fall  foul 
of  the  city  watch  it  would  be  grief  and  pain  for  you." 

Tiie  bailie  was  silenced.  He  had  already  begun  to  per- 
ceive that  Malcolm's  ways  and  manners  were  incompatible 
with  the  peace  and  quiet  of  a  respectable  household,  and 
that  Janet's  complaints  were  not  altogether  unreasonable. 
He  had  seen  many  of  his  acquaintances  lift  their  eyebrows 
in  disapprobation  at  the  roystering  talk  of  his  brother, 
and  had  foreseen  that  it  was  probable  trouble  would  come. 
At  the  same  time  he  felt  a  repugnance  to  the  thought  that_ 
after  so  many  years  of  absence  his  brother  should  so  soon 
quit  his  house.  It  seemed  a  reflection  alike  on  his  affec- 
tion and  hospitality. 

"You  will  take  charge  of  the  child,  won't  you?"  Mal- 
colm pleaded.  "There  is  the  purse  of  a  hundred  louis, 
which  will,  I  should  say,  pay  for  any  expense  to  which  he 
may  put  you  for  some  years." 

"As  if  I  would  take  the  bairn's  money !"  Andrew  ex- 
claimed angrily,  "what  do  you  take  me  for,  Malcolm? 
Assuredly  I  will  take  the  child.  Janet  and  I  have  no 
bairn  of  our  own,  and  it's  good  for  a  house  to  have  a  child 
in  it.  I  look  upon  it  as  if  it  were  yours,  for  it  is  like 
enough  you  will  never  hear  of  its  father  again.  It  will 
have  a  hearty  welcome.  It  is  a  bright  little  fellow,  and 
in  time  I  doubt  not  that  Janet  will  take  greatly  to  it.  The 
charge  of  a  child  is  a  serious  matter,  and  we  cannot  hope 
that  we  shall  not  have  trouble  with  it,  but  there  is  trouble 
in  all  things.  At  any  rate,  Malcolm,  we  will  do  our  best, 
and  if  at  the  end  of  a  year  I  find  that  Janet  has  not  taken 
to  it  we  will  see  about  some  other  arrangement.  And, 
Malcolm,  I  do  trust  that  you  will  stay  with  us  for  another 
week  or  two.  It  would  seem  to  me  as  if  I  had  turned  you 
out  of  my  house  were  you  to  leave  me  so  soon." 

So  Malcolm  made  a  three-weeks'  stay  at  his  brother's, 
and  then  started   upon   his  new   occupation   of  driving 


24  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

Highland  cattle  dov/n  into  Lancashire.  Once  every  two 
or  three  months  he  came  to  Glasgow  for  a  week  or  two 
between  his  trips.  In  spite  of  Andrew's  entreaties  he  re- 
fused on  these  occasions  to  take  up  his  abode  with  him, 
hut  took  a  lodging  not  far  ofE,  coming  in  in  the  evening 
for  an  hour  to  smoke  a  pipe  with  his  brother,  and  never 
failing  of  a  morning  to  come  in  and  take  the  child  for  a 
long  walk  with  him,  carrying  him  upon  his  shoulder,  and 
keeping  up  a  steady  tulk  with  him  in  his  native  French, 
which  he  was-ianxious  that  the  boy  should  not  forget,  as  at 
some  time  or  other  be  might  again  return  to  France. 

Some  weeks  after  Malcolm's  return  to  Scotland,  he 
wrote  to  Colonel  Leslie,  briefly  giving  his  address  at  Glas- 
gow; but  making  no  allusion  to  thecliild,  as,  if  the  colonel 
were  still  in  prison,  the  letter  would  be  sure  to  be  opened 
by  the  authorities.  He  also  wrote  to  the  major,  giving 
him  his  address,  and  begging  him  to  communicate  it  to 
Colonel  Leslie  whenever  he  should  see  him;  that  done, 
there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  wait  quietly.  The  post 
was  so  uncertain  in  those  days  that  he  had  but  shght  hope 
that  either  of  his  letters  would  ever  reach  their  destina- 
tion. It  was,  however,  the  only  means  he  had  to  adopt. 
No  answer  came  to  either  of  his  letters. 

Four  years  later  Malcolm  went  over  to  Paris,  and  cau- 
tiously made  inquiries;  but  no  one  had  heard  anything  of 
Colonel  Leslie  from  the  day  he  had  been  arrested.  The 
regiment  was  away  fighting  in  the  Low  Countries,  and  the 
only  thing  Malcolm  could  do  was  to  call  upon  the  people 
who  had  had  charge  of  the  child,  to  give  them  his  address 
in  case  the  colonel  should  ever  appear  to  inquire  of  them. 
He  found,  however,  the  house  tenanted  by  other  people. 
He  learned  that  the  last  occupants  had  left  years  before. 
The  neighbors  remembered  that  one  morning  early  some 
officers  of  the  law  had  come  to  the  house,  and  the  man 
had  been  seized  and  carried  away.     He  had  been  released 


BONJflljJ  PRWGE  CHARLIE,  25 

some  months  later,  only  to  find  thai  his  wife  had  died  of 
grief  and  anxiety,  and  he  had  then  sold  off  his  goods  and 
gone  no  one  knew  whither.  Malcolm,  therefore,  returned 
to  Glasgow,  witli  the  feeling  that  he  had  gained  nothing 
by  his  journey. 


23  BOJUMIMl  FlilMCE  CMAULJM 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE   JACOBITE   AGENT. 

So  TWELVE  years  passed.  Eonald  Leslie  grew  up  a  sturdy 
lad,  lull  of  fun  and  mischief  in  spite  of  the  sober  atmos- 
phere of  the  bailie's  house;  and  neither  flogging  at  school 
nor  lecturing  at  home  appeared  to  have  the  slightest  effect 
in  reducing  him  to  that  state  of  sober  tranquillity  ^yhich 
■was  iu  Mrs.  Anderson's  eyes  the  thing  to  be  most  desired 
in  boys.  Andrew  was  less  deeply  shocked  than  his  wife  at 
the  discovery  of  Ronald's  various  delinquencies,  but  his 
sense  of  order  and  punctuality  was  constantly  outraged. 
He  was,  however,  really  fond  of  the  lad;  and  even  Mrs. 
Anderson,  greatly  as  the  boy's  ways  constantly  disturbed 
and  ruffled  her,  was  at  heart  as  fond  of  him  as  was  her 
husband.  She  considered,  and  not  altogether  wrongly, 
that  his  wildness,  as  she  called  it,  was  in  no  slight  degree 
due  to  his  association  with  her  husband's  brother. 

Ronald  looked  forward  to  the  periodical  visits  of  the 
drover  with  intense  longing.  He  was  sure  of  a  sympa- 
thetic listener  in  Malcolm,  who  listened  with  approval  to 
the  tales  of  the  various  scrapes  into  which  he  had  got  since 
his  last  visit;  of  how,  instead  of  going  to  school,  he  had 
played  truant  and  with  another  boy  his  own  age  had  em- 
barked in  a  fisherman's  boat  and  gone  down  the  river  and 
had  not  been  able  to  get  back  until  next  day;  how  he  had 
played  tricks  upon  his  dominie  and  had  conquered  in  single 
combat  the  son  of  Councillor  Duif,  the  butcher,  who  had 


BONNIE  PlilNGli  GHARLIB.  27 

spoljeu  scoffing  words  afc  tlie  Stuarts.  Malcolm  was,  in 
fact;  delighted  to  find  that  in  spite  of  repression  and  lec- 
tures his  yonug  charge  was  growing  up  a  lad  of  spirit.  He 
still  hoped  that  some  day  Leslie  might  return,  and  he 
knew  how  horrified  he  would  be  were  he  to  find  that  his 
sou  was  becoming  a  smug  and  well-conducted  citizen.  No 
small  portion  of  his  time  on  each  of  his  visits  to  Glasgow 
Malcolm  spent  in  trainiug  the  boy  in  the  use  of  arms. 

"Your  father  was  a  gentleman,"  he  would  say  to  him, 
"and  it  is  fitting  that  you  should  know  how  to  handle  a 
gentleman's  arms.  Clubs  are  well  enough  for  citizens' 
apprentices,  but  I  would  have  you  handle  rapier  and 
broadsword  as  well  as  any  of  the  young  lairds.  When  you 
get  old  enough,  Ronald,  you  and  I  will  cross  the  seas,  and 
together  we  will  try  and  get  to  the  bottom  of  the  mystery 
of  your  father's  fate,  and  if  v;e  find  that  the  worst  has 
come  to  the  worst,  we  will  seek  out  your  mother.  She 
will  most  likely  have  married  again.  They  will  be  sure  to 
have  forced  her  into  it;  but  even  if  she  dare  not  acknowl- 
edge you  as  her  son,  her  influence  may  obtain  for  you  a 
commission  in  one  of  the  king's  regiments,  and  even  if 
they  think  I'm  too  old  for  a  trooper  1  will  go  as  your  fol- 
lower. There  are  plenty  of  occasions  at  the  court  of 
France  when  a  sharp  sword  and  a  stout  arm,  even  if  it  be 
somewhat  stiffened  by  age,  can  do  good  service." 

The  lessons  began  as  soon  as  Eonald  was  old  enough  to 
hold  a  light  blade,  and  as  between  the  pauses  of  exercise 
Malcolm  was  always  ready  to  tell  stories  of  his  adventures 
in  the  wars  of  France,  the  days  were  full  of  delight  to 
Eonald.  When  the  latter  reached  the  age  of  fourteen 
Malcolm  was  not  satisfied  with  the  amount  of  proficiency 
which  the  lad  was  able  to  gain  during  his  occasional  visits, 
and  therefore  took  him  for  further  instruction  to  a  com- 
rade who  had,  like  himself,  served  in  France,  and  had 
returned,  and  settled  down  in  Glasgow,  where  he  opened  a 


28  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

febciug -school,  having  been  a  maitre  d^armes  among  th(» 
Scotch  regiments. 

The  arrangement  was,  however,  kept  a  profound  secret 
from  Andrew  and  his  wife;  but  on  half-holidays,  and  on 
any  other  days  when  he  could  manage  to  slip  away  for  an 
hour,  Ronald  went  to  his  instructor  and  worked  hard  and 
steadily  with  the  rapier.  Had  Mrs.  Anderson  had  an  idea 
of  the  manner  in  which  he  spent  his  time  she  would  have 
been  horrified,  and  would  certainly  have  spared  her  en- 
comiums on  his  improved  conduct  and  the  absence  of  the 
unsatisfactory  reports  which  had  before  been  so  common. 

The  cloud  of  uncertainty  which  hung  over  his  father's 
.te  could  not  but  have  an  influence  upon  the  boy's  char- 
acter, and  the  happy  carelessness  and  gayety  which  were 
its  natural  characteristics  were  modified  by  the  thought 
that  his  father  might  be  languishing  in  a  dungeon.  Some- 
times he  would  refuse  to  accompany  his  schoolfellows  on 
their  rambles  or  fishing  expeditions,  and  would  sit  for 
Lours  thinking  over  all  sorts  of  wild  plans  by  which  he 
might  penetrate  to  him  and  aid  him  to  escape.  He  was 
licver  tired  of  questioning  Malcolm  Anderson  as  to  the 
piisons  in  which,  if  still  alive,  his  father  would  be  likely 
to  be  confined.  He  would  ask  as  to  their  appearance,  the 
height  of  their  walls,  v/hether  they  were  moated  or  not, 
and  whether  other  houses  abutted  closely  upon  them.  One 
day  Malcolm  asked  him  the  reason  of  these  questions,  and 
he  replied,  "Of  course  I  want  to  see  how  it  will  be  possible 
to  get  my  father  out."  And  although  Malcolm  tried  to 
inijiress  upon  him  that  it  would  be  an  almost  impossible 
task  even  to  discover  in  which  prison  his  father  was  kept, 
he  would  not  allow  himself  to  be  discouraged. 

"  There  must  be  some  way  of  finding  out,  Malcolm.  Yoa 
tell  me  that  prisoners  are  not  even  known  by  their  name 
to  the  wiu'ders,  but  only  under  a  nun)bcr.  Still  some  one 
laust  know — there  must  be  lists  kept  of  those  in  prison, 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  29 

and  I  shall  trust  to  ray  mother  to  find  out  for  me.  A 
great  lady  as  she  is  must  be  able  to  get  at  people  if  she  sets 
about  it,  and  as  certainly  she  must  have  loved  my  father 
very  much,  or  she  never  would  have  married  him  secretly, 
and  got  into  such  trouble  for  it.  I  am  sure  she  will  do 
her  best  when  she  finds  that  you  and  I  have  come  over  to 
get  him  out.  When  we  know  that,  I  think  we  ought  to 
be  able  to  manage.  You  could  get  employment  as  a 
warder,  or  I  could  go  disguised  as  a  woman,  or  as  a  priest, 
or  somehow.  I  feel  sure  we  shall  succeed  if  we  do  but 
find  out  that  he  is  alive  and  where  he  is." 

Malcolm  knew  too  much  about  the  strong  and  well- 
guarded  prisons  of  France  to  share  in  the  boy's  sanguine 
hopes^  but  he  did  not  try  to  discourage  him.  He  thought 
that  with  such  an  object  in  life  before  him  the  boy  would 
devote  himself  all  the  more  eagerly  to  exercises  which 
"Would  strengthen  his  arm,  increase  his  skill  with  weapons, 
and  render  him  a  brave  and  gallant  officer,  and  in  this  he 
was  right.  As  the  time  went  on  Ronald  became  more  and 
more  serious.  He  took  no  part  whatever  in  the  sclioolboy 
games  and  frolics  in  which  he  had  been  once  a  leader.  He 
worked  hard  at  his  school  tasks  the  sooner  to  be  done  with 
them,  and  above  all  devoted  himself  to  acquiring  a  mastery 
of  the  sword  with  a  perseverance  and  enthusiasm  which 
quite  surprised  his  instructor. 

"I  tell  you,  Malcolm,  man,"  he  said  one  day  to  his  old 
comrade,  after  Ronald  had  been  for  upward  of  two  years 
his  pupil,  "if  I  had  known,  when  you  first  asked  me  to 
teach  the  lad  to  handle  a  sword,  how  much  of  my  time  he 
was  going  to  occupy,  I  should  have  laughed  in  your  face, 
for  ten  times  the  sum  you  agreed  to  pay  me  would  not 
have  been  enough;  but,  having  begun  it  for  your  sake,  I 
have  gone  on  for  the  lad's.  It  has  been  a  pleasure  to  teach 
him,  so  eager  was  he  to  learn — so  ready  to  work  heart  and 
Boul  to  improve.     The  boy's  wrist  is  as  strong  as  mine  and 


30  BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE. 

his  eye  as  qtiick.  I  have  long  since  tatight  him  all  I  know, 
and  it  is  practice  now,  and  not  teaching,  that  we  have 
every  day.  I  tell  you  I  have  hard  work  to  hold  my  own 
with  him;  he  knows  every  trick  and  turn  as  well  as  I  do, 
and  is  quicker  with  his  lunge  and  reposte.  Were  it  not 
that  I  have  my  extra  length  of  arm  in  my  favor  I  could  not 
hold  my  own.  As  you  know,  I  have  many  of  the  officers 
of  the  garrison  among  my  pupils,  and  some  of  them  have 
learned  in  good  schools,  but  there  is  not  one  of  them  could 
defend  himself  for  a  minute  against  that  boy.  If  it  were 
not  that  the  matter  has  to  be  kept  secret  I  would  set  him 
in  front  of  some  of  them,  and  you  would  see  what  short 
work  he  would  make  of  them.  Have  you  heard  the  ru- 
mors, Malcolm,  that  the  young  chevalier  is  likely  to  follow 
the  example  of  his  father,  thirty  years  back,  and  to  make 
a  landing  in  Scotland?" 

"I  have  heard  some  such  rumors,"  Malcolm  replied, 
"though  whether  there  be  aught  in  them  I  know  not.  I 
hope  that  if  he  does  so  he  will  at  any  rate  follow  the  ex- 
ample of  his  father  no  further.  As  you  know,  I  hold  to 
the  Stuarts,  but  I  must  own  they  are  but  poor  hands  at 
fighting.  Charles  the  First  ruined  his  cause;  James  the 
Second  threw  away  the  crown  of  Ireland  by  galloping  away 
from  the  battle  of  the  Boyne;  the  chevalier  showed  here 
in  '15  that  he  was  no  leader  of  men;  and  unless  this  lad  is 
made  of  very  different  stuff  to  his  forefathers  he  had  best 
stay  in  France." 

"But  if  ho  should  come,  Malcolm,  I  suppose  you  will 
join  him?  I  am  afraid  I  shall  be  fool  enough  to  do  so, 
even  with  my  fifty  years  on  ray  head.     And  you?" 

"I  suppose  I  shall  be  a  fool  too,"  Malcolm  said.  "The 
;.fcuarts  are  Scotch,  you  see,  and  with  all  their  faults  I 
would  rather  a  thousand  times  have  a  Scottish  king  than 
these  Germans  who  govern  us  from  London.  If  the  Eng- 
lish like  thera  let  thera  keep  them,  and  let  us  have  a  king 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE,  31 

of  onr  own.  However,  naught  may  come  of  it;  it  may  be 
but  a  rumor.  It  is  a  card  which  Louis  has  threatened  to 
play  a  score  of  times,  whenever  he  wishes  to  annoy  Eng- 
land. It  is  more  than  likely  that  it  will  come  to  naught, 
as  it  has  so  often  done  before." 

"But  they  tell  me  that  there  are  agents  traveling  about 
among  the  Highland  clans,  and  that  this  time  something 
is  really  to  be  done." 

"They  have  said  so  over  and  over  again,  and  nothing 
has  come  of  it.  For  my  part,  I  don't  care  which  way  it 
goes.  After  the  muddle  that  was  made  of  it  thirty  years 
ago  it  does  not  seem  to  me  more  likely  that  we  shall  get 
rid  of  -the  Hanoverians  now.  Besides,  the  hangings  and 
slaughterings  then,  would,  I  should  think,  make  the  nobles 
and  the  heads  of  clans  think  twice  ere  they  risked  every- 
thing again." 

"That  is  true,  but  when  men's  blood  is  up  they  do  not 
count  the  cost;  besides,  the  Highh^ud  clans  are  always 
ready  to  fight.  If  Prince  Charles  comes  you  will  see  there 
will  not  be  much  hanging  back  whatever  the  consequences 
may  be.  Well,  you  and  I  have  not  much  to  lose,  except 
our  lives." 

"That  is  true  enough,  old  friend;  and  I  would  rather 
die  that  way  than  any  other.  Still,  to  tell  you  the  truth, 
I  would  rather  keep  my  head  on  rny  shoulders  for  a  few 
years  if  I  can." 

"Well,  nothing  may  come  of  it;  but  if  it  does  I  shall 
strike  a  blow  again  for  the  old  cause." 

At  home  Eonald  heard  nothing  but  expressions  of  loy- 
alty to  the  crown.  The  mere  fact  that  the  Highlanders 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Stuarts  was  sufficient  in  itself  to 
make  the  Lowlanders  take  the  opposite  side.  The  religious 
feeling,  which  had  always  counted  for  so  much  in  the 
Lowlands,  and  had  caused  Scotland  to  side  "with  the  Par- 
liament against  King  Charles,  had  not  lost  its  force.     The 


33  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

leanings  of  the  Stnarts  were,  it  was  known,  still  strongly 
in  favor  of  the  Catholic  religion,  and  although  Prince 
Charles  Edward  was  reported  to  be  more  Protestant  in 
feelings  than  the  rest  of  his  race,  this  was  not  sufficient  to 
counterbalance  the  efiect  of  the  hereditary  Catholic  ten- 
dency. Otherwise  there  was  no  feeling  of  active  loyalty 
toward  the  reigning  king  in  Scotland.  The  first  and  sec- 
ond Georges  had  none  of  the  attributes  which  attract  loyal 
aifection.  The  first  could  with  difficulty  speak  the  lan- 
guage of  the  people  over  whom  he  ruled.  Their  feelings 
and  sympathies  were  Hanoverian  rather  than  English,  and 
all  court  favors  were  bestowed  as  far  as  possible  npon  their 
countrymen.  They  had  neither  the  bearing  nor  manner 
which  men  associate  with  royalty,  nor  the  graces  and  power 
of  attraction  which  distinguished  the  Stuarts.  Common- 
place and  homely  in  manner,  in  figure,  aud  in  bearing, 
they  were  not  men  whom  their  fellows  could  look  up  to  or 
respect;  their  very  vices  were  coarse,  and  the  Hanoverian 
men  and  women  they  gathered  round  them  were  hated  by 
the  English  people. 

Thus  neither  in  England  nor  Scotland  was  there  any 
■warm  feeling  of  loyalty  for  the  reigning  house;  and  though 
it  was  possible  that  bnt  few  would  adventure  life  and  prop- 
erty in  the  cause  of  the  Stuarts,  it  was  equally  certain  that 
ontside  the  army  there  were  still  fewer  who  would  draw 
sword  for  the  Hanoverian  king.  Among  the  people  of 
the  Lowland  cities  of  Scotland  the  loyalty  which  existed 
was  relisions  rather  than  civil,  and  rested  upon  the  fact 
that  their  forefathers  had  fought  against  the  Stuarts,  while 
the  Highlanders  had  always  supported  their  cause.  Thus, 
although  in  the  household  and  in  kirk  Ronald  had  heard 
King  George  prayed  for  regularly,  he  had  heard  no  word 
concerning  him  calculated  to  waken  a  boyish  feeling  of 
loyalty,  still  less  of  enthusiasm.  Upon  the  other  hand  he 
knew  that  his  father  had  fought  and  suffered  for  the  ^tn- 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  33 

arts  and  was  an  exile  in  their  cause,  and  that  the  Hano- 
verians had  handed  over  the  estate  of  which  he  himself 
would  now  be  the  heir  to  one  of  their  adherents. 

"It  is  no  use  talking  of  these  matters  to  Andrew,"  Mal- 
colm impressed  upon  him;  "it  would  do  no  good.  When 
he  was  a  young  man  he  took  the  side  of  the  Hanoverians, 
and  he  won't  change  now;  while,  did  Mistress  Janet  guess 
that  your  heart  was  with  the  Stuarts,  she  would  say  that 
I  was  ruining  you,  and  should  bring  you  to  a  gallows.  She 
is  not  fond  of  me  now,  though  she  does  her  best  to  be  civil 
to  her  husband's  brother;  but  did  she  know  that  you  had 
become  a  Jacobite,  like  enough  she  would  move  Andrew 
to  put  a  stop  to  your  being  with  me,  and  there  would  be 
all  sorts  of  trouble." 

"But  they  could  not  prevent  my  being  with  you,"  Eon- 
aid  said  indignantly.  "My  father  gave  me  into  your 
charge,  not  into  theirs." 

"That's  true  enough,  laddie;  but  it  is  they  who  have 
cared  for  you  and  brought  you  up.  When  you  are  a  man 
you  can  no  doubt  go  which  way  it  pleases  you;  but  till 
then  you  owe  your  duty  and  respect  to  them,  and  not  to 
me,  who  have  done  naught  for  you  but  just  carry  you  over 
here  in  my  cloak." 

"I  know  they  have  done  everything  for  me,"  Ronald 
said  penitently.  "They  have  been  very  good  and  kind, 
and  I  love  them  both;  but  for  all  that  it  is  only  natural 
that  my  father  should  be  first,  and  that  my  heart  should 
be  in  the  cause  that  he  fought  for." 

"That  is  right  enough,  Konald,  and  I  would  not  have  it 
otherwise,  and  I  have  striven  to  do  my  best  to  make  you 
as  he  would  like  to  see  you.  Did  he  never  come  back 
again  I  should  be  sorry  indeed  to  see  Colonel  Leslie's  son 
growing  up  a  Glasgow  tradesman,  as  my  brother  no  doubt 
intends  you  to  be,  for  I  know  he  has  long  since  given  up  any 
thought  of  hearing  from  your  father;  but  in  that  you  and 


34  BONJSriE  PRINCE  CHAULIE. 

I  will  have  a  say  when  the  time  comes.  Until  then  yon 
must  treat  Andrew  as  your  natural  guardian,  and  there  is 
no  need  to  anger  him  hy  letting  hira  know  that  your  heart 
is  with  the  king  over  the  water,  any  more  than  that  you 
can  wield  a  sword  like  a  gentleman.  Let  us  have  peace 
as  long  as  W8  can.  You  are  gettiug  on  for  sixteen  now; 
another  two  years  and  v^q  will  think  about  going  to  Paris 
together.  lam  oli  again  to-morrow,  Ronald;  it  will  not 
be  a  long  trip  this  time,  but  maybe  before  I  get  back  we 
shall  have  news  from  France  which  will  set  the  land  on 
tire." 

A  short  time  after  this  conversation,  as  Ronald  on  hia 
return  from  college  (for  he  was  now  entered  at  the  uni- 
versity) passed  through  the  shop,  the  bailie  was  in  conver- 
sation with  one  of  the  city  magistrates,  and  Kouald  caught 
the  words: 

"  He  is  somewhere  in  the  city.  He  came  down  from  the 
Highlands,  where  he  has  been  going  to  and  fro,  two  days 
since.  1  have  a  warrant  out  against  him,  and  the  consta- 
bles are  on  the  lookout.  I  hope  to  have  him  in  jail  before 
to-night.  These  pestilent  rogues  are  a  curse  to  the  land, 
though  I  cannot  think  the  clans  would  be  fools  enough  to 
rise  again,  even  though  Charles  Stuart  did  come." 

Ronald  went  straight  up  to  his  room,  and  for  a  few 
minutes  sat  in  thonglit.  The  man  of  whom  they  spoke 
was  doubtless  an  emissary  of  Prince  Charles,  and  his  arrest 
might  have  serious  consequences,  perhaps  bring  ruin  on 
all  with  whom  he  had  been  in  communication.  Who  he 
was  or  what  he  was  like  Ronald  knew  not;  but  he  deter- 
mined at  any  rate  to  endeavor  to  defeat  the  intentions  of 
the  magistrate  to  lay  linnds  on  him.  Accordingly  a  few 
minutes  later,  while  the  magistrate  was  still  talking  with 
Andrew,  he  again  went  out. 

Ronald  waited  about  outside  th.e  door  till  he  left,  and 
then  followed  him  at  a  short  distance.     The  magistrate 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIF  35 

spoke  to  several  acqnaintances  on  the  way,  apf^  then  went 
to  the  council  chaTiber.  Waiting  outside,  Ronald  saw 
two  or  three  of  the  magistrates  enter.  An  hour  later  the 
magistrate  he  was  watching  came  out;  but  he  had  gone 
but  a  few  paces  when  a  man  hurrying  up  approached  hira. 
They  talked  earnestly  for  ?  minute  or  two.  The  magis- 
trate then  re-entered  the  building,  remained  there  a  fe^v 
minutes,  and  then  joined  the  man  who  was  waiting  out- 
side.    Ronald  had  stolen  up  and  taken  his  stand  close  by. 

"It  is  all  arranged,"  the  magistrate  said;  "as  soon  as 
night  has  fallen  a  party  will  go  down,  surround  the  house, 
and  arrest  him.  It  is  better  not  to  do  it  in  daylight,  I 
shall  lead  the  party,  which  will  come  round  to  my  house, 
so  if  the  men  you  have  left  on  watch  bring  you  news  that 
he  has  changed  his  hiding-place,  let  me  know  at  once." 

The  magistrate  walked  on.  Ronald  stood  irresolute. 
He  had  obtained  no  clew  as  to  the  residence  of  the  person 
of  whom  they  were  in  search,  and  after  a  moment's  thought 
he  determined  to  keep  an  eye  npon  the  constable,  who 
would  most  likely  join  his  comrade  on  tlie  watch.  This, 
however,  he  did  not  do  immediately.  He  had  probably 
been  for  some  time  at  work,  and  now  took  the  opportunity 
of  going  home  for  a  meal,  for  he  at  once  made  his  way  to 
a  quiet  part  of  the  city,  and  entered  a  small  honse. 

It  was  half  an  hour  before  he  came  out  again,  and 
Ronald  fidgeted  with  impatience,  for  it  was  already  grow- 
ing dusk.  When  he  issued  out  Ronald  saw  that  he  was 
armed  with  a  heavy  cudgel.  He  walked  quickly  now,  and 
Ronald,  following  at  a  distance,  passed  nearly  across  the 
town,  and  down  a  quiet  street  which  terminated  againsi 
the  old  wall  running  from  the  Castle  Port  to  a  small  tower. 
"When  he  got  near  the  bottom  of  the  street  a  man  cama 
out  from  an  archway,  and  the  two  spoke  together.  From 
their  gestures  Ronald  felt  sure  that  it  was  the  last  house 
on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  street  that  was  being  watched. 


gg  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE, 

He  had  not  Tentnred  to  follow  far  rlown  the  street,  for  as 
there  Avas  no  thoroughfare  he  would  at  once  he  regarded 
with  suspicion.  The  question  now  was  how  to  warn  the  man 
of  his  danger.  He  knew  several  men  were  on  the  watch, 
and  as  only  one  was  in  the  street,  doubtless  the  others 
were  behind  the  house.  If  anything  w-as  to  be  done  there 
■was  no  time  to  be  lost,  for  the  darkness  was  fast  closing  in. 

After  a  minute's  thought  he  went  quickly  up  the  street 
and  then  started  at  a  run,  and  then  came  d-own  upon  a 
place  where  he  could  ascend  the  wall,  which  was  at  many 
points  in  bad  repair.  With  some  difficulty  he  olimbed  up, 
and  found  that  he  was  exactly  opposite  the  house  he 
wished  to  reach.  It  was  dark  now.  Even  in  the  princi- 
pal streets  the  town  was  only  lit  by  oil  lamps  here  and 
there,  and  there  was  no  attempt  at  illumination  in  the 
quiet  quarters,  persons  who  went  abroad  after  nightfall 
always  carrying  a  lantern  with  them.  There  was  still 
sufficient  light  to  show  Ronald  that  the  house  stood  at  a 
distance  of  some  fourteen  feet  from  the  wall.  The  roof 
sloped  too  steeply  for  him  to  maintain  his  holding  upon  it; 
but  halfway  along  the  house  was  a  dormer-window  about 
three  feet  above  the  gutter.  It  was  unglazed,  and  doubt- 
less gave  light  to  a  granary  or  storeroom. 

Ronald  saw  that  his  only  chance  was  to  alight  on  the 
roof  close  enough  to  this  window  to  be  able  to  grasp  the 
woodwork.  At  any  other  moment  he  would  have  hesitated 
before  attempting  such  a  leap.  The  wall  was  only  a  few 
feet  wide,  and  he  could  therefore  get  but  little  run  for  a 
spring.  His  blood  was,  however,  up,  and  having  taken 
his  resolution  he  did  not  hesitate.  Drawing  back  aa  far  as 
ho  could  he  took  three  steps,  and  then  sprang  for  the  win- 
dow. Its  sill  was  some  three  feet  higher  than  the  edge  of 
the  wall  from  which  he  sprang. 

The  leap  was  successful;  his  feet  struck  just  upon  the 
gutter,  and  the  impetus  threw  forward  his  body,  and  bis 


jnt  warned  of  u; 


—Bonnie  Prince  Charlie. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  37 

hands  grasped  the  woodwork  of  the  window.  In  a  moment 
he  had  dragged  himself  inside.  It  was  quite  dark  within 
the  room.  He  moved  carefully,  for  the  floor  was  piled 
with  disused  furniture,  boxes,  sacking,  and  rubbish.  He 
was  some  time  finding  the  door,  but  although  he  moved 
as  carefully  as  he  could  he  knocked  over  a  heavy  chest 
which  was  placed  on  a  rickety  chair,  the  two  failiug  with 
a  crash  on  the  floor.  At  last  he  found  the  door  and  opened 
it.  As  he  did  so  a  light  mot  his  eyes,  and  he  saw 
ascending  the  staircase  a  man  with  a  drawn  sword,  and  a 
woman  holding  a  light  above  her  head  following  closely. 
The  man  uttered  an  exclamation  on  seeing  Eonald  appear. 

"A  thief!"  he  said.  "Surrender,  or  I  will  run  you 
through  at  once." 

"I  am  no  thief,"  Ronald  replied.  "My  name  is  Eonald 
Leslie,  and  I  am  a  student  at  the  university.  I  have  come 
here  to  warn  some  one  whom  I  know  not,  in  this  house, 
that  it  is  watched,  and  that  in  a  few  minutes  at  the  out- 
side a  band  of  the  city  watch  will  be  here  to  capture  him." 

The  man  dropped  the  point  of  his  sword,  and  taking 
the  light  from  the  woman  held  it  closer  to  Konald's  face. 

"How  came  you  here?"  he  asked.  "How  did  you  learu 
this  news?" 

"The  house  is  watched  both  sides  below,"  Ronald  said, 
"and  I  leaped  from  the  wall  tiirough  the  dormer-window. 
I  heard  a  magistrate  arranging  with  one  of  the  constables 
for  a  capture,  and  gathered  that  he  of  whom  they  were  in 
search  was  a  Jacobite,  and  as  I  come  of  a  stock  which  has 
always  been  faithful  to  the  Stuarts,  I  hastened  to  warn 
him." 

The  woman  uttered  a  cry  of  alarm. 

"I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart,  young  sir.  I  am  be 
for  whom  they  are  in  search,  and  if  I  get  free  you  will 
render  a  service  indeed  to  our  cause;  but  there  is  no  time 
to  talk  now,  if  what  you  tell  me  be  true.  You  say  the 
house  is  watched  from  both  sides?" 


38  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

•*Yes;  there  are  two  men  in  the  lane  below,  one  or 
more,  I  know  not  how  many,  behind." 

"There  is  no  escape  behind,"  the  man  said;  "the  walla 
are  high,  and  other  houses  abut  upon  them.  I  will  sally 
out  and  fight  through  the  men  in  front." 

"I  can  handle  the  sword,"  Ronald  put  in;  "and  if  you 
■will  provide  me  with  a  weapon  I  will  do  my  best  by  your 
side." 

"You  are  a  brave  lad,"  the  man  said,  "and  I  accept 
your  aid." 

He  led  the  way  downstairs  and  entered  a  room,  tool^ 
down  a  sword  from  over  the  fireplace,  and  gave  it  to 
Ronald. 

As  he  took  it  in  his  hand  there  was  a  loud  knocking  at 
the  door. 

"Too  late!"  the  man  exclaimed.  "Quick,  the  light, 
Mary!  at  any  rate  I  must  burn  my  papers." 

He  drew  some  letters  from  his  pocket,  lit  them  at  the 
lamp,  and  threw  them  on  the  hearth;  then  opening  a  cab- 
inet he  drew  forth  a  number  of  other  papers  and  crumpling 
them  up  added  them  to  the  blaze. 

"Thank  God  that  is  safe!"  he  said,  " the  worst  evil  is 
averted." 

"Can  you  not  escape  by  the  way  by  which  I  came 
hither?"  Ronald  said.  "The  distance  is  too  great  to  leap; 
but  if  you  have  got  a  plank,  or  can  pull  up  a  board  from 
the  floor,  you  could  put  it  across  to  the  wall  and  make 
your  escape  that  way.  I  will  try  to  hold  the  stairs  till  yoa 
are  away." 

"I  will  try  at  least,"  the  man  said.  "Mary,  bring  the 
light,  and  aid  me  while  our  brave  friend  does  his  best  to 
give  us  time." 

So  saying  he  sprang  upstairs,  while  Ronald  made  hia 
v.'ay  down  to  the  door. 

"  Who  is  making  such  a  noise  at  the  door  of  a  quiet 
liouse  at  this  time  of  night?"  he  shouted. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  39 

"Open  in  the  king's  name,"  was  the  reply;  "we  have  a 
•warrant  to  arrest  one  who  is  concealed  here." 

"There  is  no  one  concealed  here,"  Ronald  replied,  "and 
I  doubt  that  you  are,  as  you  say,  officers  of  the  peace;  but 
if  so,  pass  your  warrant  through  the  grille,  and  if  it  be 
signed  and  in  due  form  T  will  open  to  you." 

"I  will  show  my  warrant  when  needs  be,"  the  voice  an- 
swered. "Once  more,  open  the  door  or  we  will  break 
it  in." 

"Do  it  at  your  peril,"  Eonald  replied.  "How  can  I  tell 
yon  are  not  thieves  who  seek  to  ransack  the  house,  and 
that  your  warrant  is  a  pretense.  I  warn  you  that  the  first 
who  enters  I  will  run  him  through  the  body." 

The  reply  was  a  shower  of  blows  on  the  door,  and  a 
similar  attack  was  begun  by  a  party  behind  the  house. 
The  door  was  strong,  and  after  a  minute  or  two  the  ham- 
mering ceased,  and  then  there  was  a  creaking,  straining 
noise,  and  Ronald  knew  they  were  applying  a  crowbar  to 
force  it  open.  He  retreated  to  a  landing  halfway  up  the 
stairs,  placed  a  lamp  behind  him  so  that  it  would  show  its 
light  full  on  the  faces  of  those  ascending  the  stairs,  and 
waited.  A  minute  later  there  was  a  crash ;  the  lock  had 
yielded,  but  the  bar  still  held  the  door  in  its  place.  Then 
the  blows  redoubled,  mingled  with  the  crashing  of  wood; 
then  there  was  the  sound  of  a  heavy  fall,  and  a  body  of 
men  burst  in. 

There  was  a  rush  at  the  stairs  but  the  foremost  halted 
at  the  sight  of  Ronald  with  his  drawn  sword. 

"Keep  back,"  he  shouted,  "or  beware!  The  watch  will 
be  here  in  a  few  minutes,  and  then  you  will  all  be  laid  by 
the  heels." 

"Fool!  we  are  the  watch,"  one  of  the  men  exclaimed, 
and,  dashing  up  the  stairs,  aimed  a  blow  at  Ronald.  He 
guarded  it  and  ran  the  man  through  the  shoulder.  He 
dropped  his  sword  and  fell  back  with  a  curse. 


4.0  BONNIE  PEINCE  CHARLIE. 

At  this  moment  the  woman  ran  downstairs  from  above 
end  nodded  to  Ronald  to  signify  that  tlie  fugitive  had 
escaped. 

"You  see  1  hold  to  my  word,"  Ronald  said  in  a  loud 
voice.  "If  ye  be  the  watch,  which  I  doubt,  show  me  the 
warrant,  or  if  ye  have  one  in  authority  with  you  let  him 
proclaim  himself." 

"Here  is  the  warrant,  and  here  am  I,  James  M'Whirtle, 
a  magistrate  of  this  city." 

"  Why  did  you  not  say  so  before?"  Ronald  exclaimed, 
lowering  his  sword.  "If  it  be  truly  the  worshipful  Mr. 
M'Whirtle  let  him  show  himself,  for  surely  I  know  him 
well,  having  seen  him  often  in  the  house  of  my  guardian, 
Bailie  Anderson." 

Mr.  M'Whirtle,  who  had  been  keeping  well  in  the  rear, 
now  came  forward. 

"It  is  himself,"  Ronald  said.  "Why  did  you  not  say 
you  were  here  at  once,  Mr.  M'Whirtle,  instead  of  setting 
your  men  to  break  down  the  door,  as  if  they  were  High- 
land caterans  on  a  foray?" 

"  We  bade  you  open  in  the  king's  name,"  the  magistrate 
said,  "and  you  withstood  us,  and  it  will  be  a  hanging 
matter  for  you,  for  you  have  aided  the  king's  enemies." 

"The  king's  enemies!"  Ronald  said  in  a  tone  of  surprise. 
"How  can  there  be  any  enemies  of  the  king  here,  seeing 
there  are  only  myself  and  the  good  woman  upstairs?  You 
will  find  no  others." 

"Search  the  house,"  the  magistrate  said  furiously,  "and 
take  this  malapert  lad  into  custody  on  the  charge  of  assist- 
ing the  king's  enemies,  of  impeding  the  course  of  justice, 
of  withstanding  by  force  of  arms  the  issue  of  a  lawful  writ^ 
and  with  grievously  wounding  one  of  the  city  watch." 

Ronald  laughed. 

"It  is  a  grievous  list,  worshipful  sir;  but  naark  you,  as 
soon  as  you  showed  your  warrant  and  declared  yourself  I 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  41 

gave  way  to  you.  I  only  resisted  so  long  as  it  seemed  to 
me  you  were  evildoers  breaking  into  a  peaceful  house." 

Two  of  the  watch  remained  as  guard  over  Ronald;  one 
of  the  others  searched  the  house  from  top  to  bottom.  No 
signs  of  the  fugitive  were  discovered. 

"He  must  bo  here  somewhere,"  the  magistrate  said, 
** since  he  was  seen  to  enter,  and  the  house  has  been  closely 
watched  ever  since.  See,  there  are  a  pile  of  ashes  on  the 
hearth  as  if  papers  had  been  recently  burned.  Sound  the 
floors  and  the  walls." 

The  investigation  was  particularly  sharp  in  the  attic, 
for  a  board  was  here  found  to  be  loose,  and  there  were 
signs  of  its  being  recently  wrenched  out  of  its  place,  but 
as  the  room  below  was  unceiled  this  discovery  led  to  noth- 
ing. At  last  the  magistrate  was  convinced  that  the  fugi- 
tive was  not  concealed  in  the  house,  and,  after  placing  his 
seals  on  the  doors  of  all  the  rooms  and  leaving  four  men 
in  charge,  he  left  the  place,  Eonald,  under  the  charge  of 
four  men,  accompanying  him. 

On  the  arrival  at  the  city  tolbootli  Konald  was  thrust 
into  a  cell  and  there  left  until  morning.  He  was  then 
brought  before  Mr.  M'Whirtle  and  two  other  of  the  city 
magistrates.  Andrew  Anderson  was  in  attendance,  having 
been  notified  the  night  before  of  what  had  befallen  Bonald. 
The  bailie  and  his  wife  had  at  first  been  unable  to  credit 
the  news,  and  were  convinced  that  some  mistake  had  been 
made.  Andrew  had  tried  to  obtain  his  release  on  his 
promise  to  bring  him  up  in  the  morning,  but  Mr. 
M'Whirtle  and  his  colleagues,  who  had  been  hastily  sum- 
moned together,  would  not  hear  of  it, 

"It's  a  case  of  treason,  man.  Treason  against  his  gra- 
cious majesty;  aiding  and  abetting  one  of  the  king's  ene- 
mies, to  say  naught  of  brawling  and  assaulting  tlie  city 
■watch." 

The  woman  found  in  the  house  had  also  been  brought 


42  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

rp,  but  no  precise  charge  was  made  against  Ler.  The 
court  was  crowded,  for  Andrew,  in  his  wrath  at  being  un- 
able to  obtain  Konald's  release,  had  not  been  backward  in 
publishing  his  grievance,  and  many  of  his  neighbors  were 
present  to  hear  this  strange  charge  against  Eonald  Leslie. 

The  wounded  constable  and  another,  first  gave  their 
evidence. 

«I  myself  can  confirm  what  has  been  said,"  Mr. 
M'Whirtle  remarked,  ** seeing  that  I  was  present  with  the 
watch  to  see  to  the  arrest  of  a  person  against  whom  a  war- 
rant had  been  issued." 

"Who  is  that  person?"  Eonald  asked.  "Seeing  that  I 
am  charged  with  aiding  and  abetting  his  escape  it  seems  to 
me  that  I  have  a  right  to  know  who  he  is." 

The  magistrates  looked  astounded  at  the  effrontery  of 
the  question,  but  after  a  moment's  consultation  together 
Mr.  M'Whirtle  said  that  in  the  interest  of  justice  it  was 
unadvisable  at  the  present  moment  to  state  the  name  of 
the  person  concerned. 

"  What  have  you  to  say,  prisoner,  to  the  charge  made 
against  you?  In  consideration  of  our  good  friend  Bailie 
Anderson,  known  to  be  a  worthy  citizen  and  loyal  subject 
of  his  majesty,  we  would  be  glad  to  hear  what  you  have  to 
say  anent  this  charge." 

"I  have  nothing  to  say,"  Eonald  replied  quietly.  "Be- 
ing in  the  house  when  it  was  attacked,  with  as  much  noise 
as  if  a  band  of  border  ruffians  were  at  the  gate,  I  stood  on 
the  defense.  I  demanded  to  see  what  warrant  they  had 
for  forcing  an  entry,  and  as  they  would  show  me  none,  I 
did  my  best  to  protect  the  house;  but  the  moment  Mr. 
M'Whirtle  proclaimed  who  he  was  I  lowered  my  sword 
and  gave  them  passage." 

There  was  a  smile  in  the  court  at  the  boy's  coolness. 

"But  how  came  ye  there,  young  sir?  How  came  ye  to 
be  in  the  house  at  all,  if  ye  were  there  for  a  good  motive?" 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  43 

"That  I  decline  to  say,"  Ronald  answered.  "It  seems 
to  me  that  any  one  may  be  in  a  house  by  the  consent  of 
its  owners,  without  having  to  give  his  reasons  therefor." 

"It  will  be  the  worse  for  you  if  you  defy  the  court.  I 
ask  you  again  how  came  you  there?" 

"I  have  no  objection  to  tell  you  how  I  came  there," 
Eonald  said.  "I  was  walking  on  the  old  wall,  which,  as 
you  know,  runs  close  by  the  house,  when  I  saw  an  ill- 
looking  loon  hiding  himself  as  if  watching  the  house, 
looking  behind  I  saw  another  ruflfianly-looking  man  there." 
Two  gasps  of  indignation  were  heard  from  the  porch  at 
the  back  of  the  court.  "Thinking  that  there  was  mis- 
chief on  hand  I  leaped  from  the  wall  to  the  dormer-window 
to  warn  the  people  of  the  house  that  there  were  ill-doers 
who  had  designs  upon  the  place,  and  then  remained  to  see 
what  came  of  it.     That  is  the  simple  fact." 

There  was  an  exclamation  of  incredulity  from  the 
magistrates. 

"If  you  doubt  m.e,"  Eouald  said,  "you  can  send  a  man 
to  the  wall.  I  felt  my  feet  loosen  a  tile  and  it  slid  down 
into  the  gutter." 

One  of  the  magistrates  gave  an  order,  and  two  of  the 
watch  left  the  court. 

"And  who  did  you  find  in  the  house?" 

"I  found  this  good  woman,  and  sorely  frightened  she 
was  when  I  told  her  what  kind  of  folk  were  lurking 
outside." 

"And  was  there  any  one  else  there?" 

"There  was  a  man  there,"  Eonald  said  quietly,  "and  he 
seemed  alarmed  too." 

"What  became  of  him?" 

"I  cannot  say  for  certain,"  Eonald  replied;  "but  if  you 
ask  my  opinion  I  should  say,  that  having  no  stomach  for 
meeting  the  people  outside,  he  just  went  out  the  way  I 
came  in,  especially  as  I  heard  the  worshipful  magistrate 
say  that  a  board  in  the  attio  had  been  lifted." 


44  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIB. 

The  magistrates  looked  at  each  other  in  astonishment; 
the  mode  of  escape  had  not  occurred  to  any,  and  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  fugitive  was  now  explained. 

"I  never  heard  such  a  tale,"  one  of  the  magistrates  said 
after  a  pause.  "It  passes  belief  that  a  lad,  belonging  to 
the  family  of  a  worthy  and  respectable  citizen,  a  bailie  of 
the  city  and  one  who  stands  well  with  his  fellow  townsmon, 
should  take  a  desperate  leap  from  the  wall  through  a  win- 
dow of  a  house  where  a  traitor  was  in  hiding,  warn  him 
that  the  house  was  watched,  and  give  him  time  to  escape 
while  he  defended  the  stairs.  Such  a  tale,  sure,  was  never 
told  in  a  court.     What  say  you,  bailie?" 

"I  can  say  naught,"  Andrew  said.  "The  boy  is  a  good 
boy  and  a  quiet  one;  given  to  mischief  like  other  boys  of 
his  age,  doubtless,  but  always  amenable.  What  can  have 
possessed  him  to  behave  in  such  a  wild  manner  I  cannot 
conceive,  but  it  eeems  to  me  that  it  was  but  a  boy's  freak," 

"It  was  no  freak  when  he  ran  his  sword  through  Peter 
Muir's  shoulder,"  Mr.  M'Whirtle  said.  "Ye  will  allow 
that,  neighbor  Anderson." 

"The  man  must  have  run  against  the  sword,"  the  bailie 
said,  "seeing  the  boy  scarce  knows  one  end  of  a  weapou 
from  another." 

"You  are  wrong  there,  bailie,"  one  of  the  constables 
said;  "for  I  have  seen  him  many  a  time  going  into  the 
school  of  James  Macklewain,  and  I  have  heard  a  com.rade 
say,  who  knows  James,  that  the  lad  can  handle  a  sword 
with  the  best  of  them." 

"I  will  admit  at  once,"  Ronald  said,  "that  I  have  gone 
to  Macklewain's  school  and  learned  fencing  of  him.  My 
father.  Colonel  Leslie  of  Glenlyon,  was  a  gentleman,  and 
it  was  right  that  I  should  know  how  to  wield  a  sword,  and 
James  Macklewain,  who  had  fought  in  the  French  wars 
and  knew  my  father,  was  good  enough  to  teach  me.  I 
may  say  that  my  guardian  knew  nothing  of  this." 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  45 

"No,  indeed,"  Andrew  said.  "I  never  so  much  as 
dreamed  of  it.  If  I  had  done  so  he  and  1  would  have 
talked  together  to  a  purpose." 

"  Leslie  of  Glenlyou  was  concerned  in  tho  '15,  was  he 
not?"  Mr.  M'Whirtle  said;  "and  had  to  fly  the  country; 
and  his  son  seems  to  be  treading  in  his  steps,  bailie.  I 
doubt  ye  have  been  nourishing  a  viper  in  your  bosom." 

At  this  moment  the  two  constables  returned,  and  re- 
ported that  certainly  a  tile  was  loose  as  the  prisoner  had 
described,  and  there  were  scratches  as  if  of  the  feet  of  some 
one  entering  the  window,  but  the  leap  was  one  that  very 
few  men  would  undertake. 

"Your  story  is  so  far  confirmed,  prisoner;  but  it  does 
not  seem  to  us  that  even  had  you  seen  tv/o  men  watching 
a  house  it  would  be  reasonable  that  you  would  risk  your 
neck  in  this  way  without  cause.  Clearly  you  have  aided 
and  abetted  a  traitor  to  escape  justice,  and  you  will  be  re- 
manded. I  hope,  before  you  are  brought  before  us  again, 
you  will  make  up  your  mind  to  make  a  clean  breast  of  it, 
and  throw  yourself  on  the  king's  mercy." 

Ronald  was  accordingly  led  back  to  the  cell,  the  bailie 
being  too  much  overwhelmed  with  surprise  at  what  be  bad 
heard  to  utter  any  remonstrance. 


46  BOJVMIM  FliLNOE  CHARLIE, 


CHAPTER  III. 

FREE. 

After  Eonald  had  been  removed  from  the  court  the 
woman  was  questioned.  She  asserted  that  her  master  was 
away,  and  was,  she  believed,  in  France,  and  that  in  his 
absence  she  often  let  lodgings  to  strangers.  That  two 
days  before,  a  man  whom  she  knew  not  came  and  hired  a 
room  for  a  few  days.  That  on  the  evening  before,  hearing 
a  noise  in  the  attic,  she  went  up  with  him,  and  met  Eonald 
coming  downstairs.  That  when  Eonald  said  there  were 
strange  men  outside  the  house,  and  when  immediately 
afterward  there  was  a  great  knocking  at  the  door,  the  man 
drew  his  sword  and  ordered  her  to  come  upstairs  with  him. 
That  he  then  made  her  assist  him  to  pull  up  a  plank,  and 
thrust  it  from  the  attic  to  the  wall,  and  ordered  her  to 
replace  it  when  he  had  gone.  She  supposed  he  was  a  thief 
flying  from  justice,  but  was  afraid  to  refuse  to  do  his 
bidding. 

"And  why  did  you  not  tell  us  all  this,  woman,  when  we 
came  in?"  Mr.  M'Whirtle  asked  sternly.  "Had  ye  told 
Ds  we  might  have  overtaken  him." 

"I  was  too  much  frightened,"  the  woman  answered. 
"There  were  swords  out  and  blood  running,  and  men 
using  words  contrary  boih  to  the  law  and  Scripture.  I 
was  frightened  enough  before,  and  I  just  put  my  apron  over 
my  head  and  sat  down  till  the  hubbub  was  over.  And 
then  as  no  one  asked  me  any  questions^  and  I  feared  I 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  47 

might  have  done  wrong  in  aiding  a  thief  to  escape,  I  just 
held  my  tongue." 

No  cross-questioning  could  elicit  anything  further  from 
the  womr.'"!,  who  indeed  seemed  frightened  almost  out  of 
her  senses,  and  the  magistrate  at  last  ordered  her  to  return 
to  the  house  and  ''amain  there  under  the  supervision  of 
the  constahle  until  again  sent  for. 

Andrew  Anderson  returned  home  sorely  disturbed  in  his 
mind.  Hitherto  he  had  told  none,  even  of  his  intimates, 
that  the  boy  living  in  his  house  was  the  son  of  Colonel 
Leslie,  but  had  spoken  of  him  as  the  child  of  an  old  ac- 
quaintance, who  had  left  him  to  his  care.  The  open  an- 
nouncement of  Eonald  that  he  was  the  son  of  one  of  tho 
leaders  in  the  last  rebellion,  coming  just  as  it  did  when 
the  air  was  thick  with  rumors  of  another  rising,  troubled 
him  greatly;  and  there  was  the  fact  that  the  boy  had, 
unknown  to  him,  been  learning  fencing;  and  lastly  this 
interference,  which  had  enabled  a  notorious  emissary  of 
the  Pretender  to  escape  arrest. 

"The  boy's  story  may  be  true  as  far  as  it  goes,"  he  said 
to  his  wife  wheii  relating  to  her  the  circumstances,  "for  I 
have  never  known  him  to  tell  a  lie;  but  I  cannot  think  it 
was  all  the  truth.  A  boy  does  not  take  such  a  dreadful 
leap  as  that,  and  risk  breaking  his  neck,  simply  because 
he  sees  two  men  near  the  house.  He  must  somehow  have 
known  that  man  was  there,  and  went  to  give  him  warning. 
Now  I  think  of  it,  he  passed  through  the  shop  when  Peter 
M'Whirtle  was  talking  to  me  about  it,  though,  indeed, 
he  did  not  know  then  where  the  loon  was  in  hiding.  The 
boy  went  out  soon  afterward,  and  must  somehow  have 
learned,  if  indeed  he  did  not  know  before.  Janet,  I  fear 
that  you  and  I  have  been  like  two  blind  owls  with  regard 
to  the  boy,  and  I  dread  sorely  that  my  brother  Malcolm  is 
at  the  bottom  of  all  this  mischief." 

This  Mrs.  Anderson  was  ready  enough  to  credit,  but 


48  BONNIE  PRINCE  CIIARLIK 

she  was  too  much   bewildered  and  horrified  to  do  more 
than  to  shake  her  head  and  weep. 

"  Will  they  cut  off  his  head,  Andrew?"  she  asked  at  last. 

"No,  there's  no  fear  of  that;  but  they  may  imprison 
him  for  a  bit,  and  perhaps  give  him  a  good  flogging — the 
young  rascal.  But  there,  don't  fret  over  it,  Janet.  I 
will  do  all  I  can  for  him.  And  in  truth  I  think  Malcolm 
is  more  to  blame  than  he  is;  and  we  have  been  to  blame 
too  for  letting  the  lad  be  so  much  with  him,  seeing  that 
v/e  might  be  sure  he  would  put  all  sorts  of  notions  in  the 
boy's  head." 

'*But  what  is  to  be  done,  Andrew?  We  cannot  let  the 
poor  lad  remain  in  prison." 

"We  have  no  choice  in  the  matter,  Janet.  In  prison  he 
is,  and  in  prison  he  has  to  remain  until  he  is  let  out,  and 
I  see  no  chance  of  that.  If  it  had  only  been  a  brawl  with 
the  watch  it  could  have  been  got  over  easily  enough;  but 
this  is  an  affair  of  high  treason— aiding  and  abetting  the 
king's  enemies,  and  the  rest  of  it.  If  it  were  in  the  old 
times  they  would  put  the  thumb-screws  on  him  to  find  out 
all  he  knew  about  it,  for  they  will  never  believe  he  risked 
his  life  making  that  fool's  jump  from  the  wall  unless  he 
had  been  in  the  plot;  and  the  fact  that  his  father  before 
him  was  in  arms  for  the  Chevalier  tells  that  way.  I  should 
not  be  surprised  if  an  order  comes  for  him  to  be  sent  to 
London  to  be  examined  by  the  king's  councilors;  but  I 
will  go  round  now  and  ask  the  justices  what  they  think  of 
the  matter." 

His  tidings  when  he  returned  were  not  encouraging; 
the  general  opinion  of  the  magistrates  being  that  Ronald 
was  certainly  mixed  up  in  the  Jacobite  plot,  that  the  matter 
was  altogether  too  serious  to  be  disposed  of  by  them,  being 
of  the  nature  of  high  treason,  and  that  nothing  could  be 
done  until  instructions  were  received  from  London.  No 
clew  had  been  obtained  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  the  man 


BONNIE  PRINUR  CHARLIE.  49 

^ho  had  escaped,  and  it  was  thought  probable  that  he  had 
at  once  dropped  beyond  the  walls  and  made  for  the  west. 

Malcolm  arrived  ten  days  later  from  a  journey  in  Lan- 
cashire, and  there  was  a  serious  qnarrel  between  him  and 
Andrew  on  his  presenting  himself  at  the  house. 

"It  is  not  only  that  you  led  the  lad  into  mischief,  Mal- 
colm, but  that  you  taught  him  to  do  it  behind  my  back." 

"  You  may  look  at  it  in  that  way  if  you  will,  Andrew, 
and  it's  natural  enough  from  your  point  of  view;  but  I 
take  no  blame  to  myself.  You  treated  the  boy  as  if  he 
had  been  your  own  son,  and  I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart 
for  your  kindness  to  him;  but  I  could  not  forget  that  he. 
was  the  son  of  my  old  friend  and  colonel,  Leslie  of  Gleii- 
lyon,  and  I  do  not  blame  myself  that  I  have  kept  the  same 
alive  in  his  mind  also.  It  was  my  duty  to  see  that  the 
young  eagle  was  not  turned  into  a  barndoor  fowl;  but  I 
never  thought  he  was  going  to  use  his  beak  and  his  claws 
so  soon." 

"A  nice  thing  you  will  have  to  tell  his  father,  that 
owing  to  your  teachings  his  sou  is  a  prisoner  in  the  Tower, 
maybe  for  life.  But  there — there's  no  fear  of  that.  You 
will  never  have  to  render  that  account,  for  there's  no  more 
chance  of  jour  ever  hearing  more  of  him  than  there  is  of 
my  becoming  king  of  Scotland.  It's  bad  enough  that  you 
have  always  been  a  ne'er-do-well  yourself  without  training 
that  unfortunate  boy  to  his  ruin." 

"Well,  well,  Andrew,  I  will  not  argue  with  you,  and  I 
don't  blame  you  at  being  soro  and  angry  over  the  matter; 
nor  do  I  deny  what  you  have  said  about  myself;  it's  true 
enough,  and  you  might  say  worse  things  against  me  with- 
out my  quarreling  with  ye  over  it.  Ilov/ever,  the  less  said 
the  botter.  I  will  take  myself  oif  and  think  over  what's 
to  be  done." 

"You  had  better  come  up  and  have  your  supper  wUh 
TiSj"  Andrew  said,  mollified  by  his  brother's  humility. 


60  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"Not  for  twenty  golden  guineas,  Andrew,  would  I  face 
Mistress  Janet.  She  has  borne  with  me  well,  though  I 
know  in  her  heart  she  disapproves  of  me  altogether;  but 
after  this  scrape  into  which  I  have  got  the  boy  I  daren't 
face  her.  She  might  not  say  much,  but  to  eat  with  her 
eye  upon  me  would  choke  me." 

Malcolm  proceeded  at  once  to  the  establishment  of  his 
friend  Macklewain. 

"This  is  a  nice  kettle  of  fish,  Malcolm,  about  young 
Leslie.  I  have  Irad  the  justices  down  here,  asking  me  all 
sorts  of  questions,  and  they  have  got  into  their  minds  that 
I  taught  bira  not  only  sword  play  but  treason,  and  they 
have  been  threatening  to  put  me  in  the  stocks  as  a  vaga- 
bond; but  I  snapped  my  fingers  in  their  faces,  saying  I 
earned  my  money  as  honestly  as  they  did,  and  that  I  con- 
cern myself  in  no  way  in  politics,  but  teach  English  officers 
and  the  sons  of  Glasgow  tradesmen  as  well  as  those  of 
Highland  gentlemen.  They  were  nicely  put  out,  I  can 
tell  you;  but  I  didn't  care  for  that,  for  I  knew  I  was  in 
the  right  of  it.  But  what  on  earth  made  the  young  cock 
meddle  in  this  matter?  How  came  he  to  be  mixed  up  in 
a  Jacobite  plot?     Have  you  got  your  finger  ia  it?" 

"Not  I,  James;  and  how  it  happens  that  he  is  concerned 
in  it  is  more  than  I  can  guess.  I  know,  of  course,  his 
heart  is  with  the  king  over  the  water;  but  how  he  came 
to  get  his  hand  into  the  pie  is  altogether  beyond  me." 

"The  people  here  are  well-nigh  mad  about  it.  I  know 
not  who  the  gallant  who  has  escaped  is;  but  it  is  certain 
that  his  capture  was  considered  a  very  important  one,  and 
that  the  justices  here  expected  to  have  gained  no  small 
credit  by  his  arrest,  whereas  now  they  will  be  regarded  as 
fools  for  letting  him  slip  through  their  fingers." 

"I  cannot  for  the  life  of  me  make  out  how  he  came  to 
be  mixed  up  in  such  a  matter.  No  one  but  you  and  I 
could  have  known  that  he  was  a  lad  of  mettle,  who  might 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  51 

be  trusted  in  snch  a  bnsiness.  it  can  hardly  be  that  they 
■would  have  confided  auy  secrets  to  him;  still,  the  fact 
that  he  was  in  the  house  \9i<-h.  the  man  they  are  in  search 
of,  and  that  he  drew  and  risked  his  life  and  certain  impris- 
onment to  secure  his  escape,  shows  that  he  must  have  been 
heart  and  soul  in  the  plot." 

"And  what  do  you  think  of  doing,  Malcolm?" 

"I  shall  get  him  out  somehow.  I  can  lay  hands  on  a 
score  or  two  or  more  of  our  old  comrades  here  in  Glasgow, 
and  I  doubt  not  that  they  will  all  strike  a  blow  with  me 
for  Leslie's  son,  to  say  nothing  of  his  being  a  follower  of 
the  Stuarts." 

"You  are  not  thinking,  man,  of  attacking  the  jail! 
That  would  be  a  serious  matter.  The  doors  are  strong, 
and  yon  would  have  the  soldiers,  to  say  naught  of  the 
town-guard  and  the  citizens,  upon  you  before  you  had 
reached  him." 

"No,  no,  James,  I  am  thinking  of  no  such  foolishness. 
I  guess  that  they  will  not  be  trying  him  for  withstanding 
the  watch,  that's  but  a  small  matter;  they  will  be  sending 
him  south  for  the  king's  ministers  to  get  out  of  him  what 
he  knows  about  the  Jacobite  plot  and  the  names  of  all 
concerned,  and  it's  upon  the  road  that  we  must  get  him 
out  of  their  hands.  Like  enough  they  will  only  send  four 
troopers  with  him,  and  we  can  easily  master  them  some- 
where in  the  dales." 

"It's  more  like,  Malcolm,  they  will  send  him  by  ship. 
They  will  know  well  enough  that  if  the  lad  knows  aught 
there  will  be  plenty  whose  interest  it  is  to  get  him  out  of 
their  hands.  I  think  they  will  take  the  safer  way  of  put- 
ting him  on  board  ship." 

"Like  enough  they  will,"  Malcolm  agreed,  "and  in  that 
case  it  will  be  a  harder  job  than  I  deemed  it.  But  at  any 
rate  I  mean  to  try.  Eonald's  not  the  lad  to  turn  traitor; 
he  will  say  nothing  whatever  they  do  to  him,  you  may  be 


62  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

sure,  and  he  may  lie  for  years  in  an  English  prison  if  we 
do  not  get  him  out  of  their  hands  before  he  gets  there. 
At  any  rate  what  we  have  got  to  do  now  is  to  mark  every 
ship  in  the  port  sailing  for  Loudon,  and  to  find  out  whether 
passages  are  taken  for  a  prisoner  and  his  guard  in  any  of 
tliem.  I  will  make  that  my  business,  and  between  times 
get  a  score  of  trnsty  fellows  together  in  readiness  to  start 
if  they  should  send  him  by  land;  but  I  donbt  not  that  you 
are  right,  and  that  he  will  be  taken  off  by  ship." 

The  days  of  waiting  passed  slowly  to  Ronald,  and  An- 
drew Anderson  once  or  twice  obtained  permission  to  sea 
him.  The  bailie  wisely  abstained  from  any  reproaches, 
and  sought  only  to  persuade  him  to  make  a  clean  breast  of 
the  business,  and  to  tell  all  he  knew  about  a  plot  which 
could  but  end  in  failure  and  ruin  to  all  concerned.  Al- 
though his  belief  in  Ronald's  truthfulness  was  great  he 
could  not  credit  that  the  story  which  he  had  told  contained 
all  the  facts  of  tlie  matter.  To  the  bailie  it  seemed  in- 
credible that  merely  from  an  abstract  feeling  in  favor  of 
the  Stuarts  Ronald  would  have  risked  his  life  and  liberty 
in  aiding  the  escape  of  a  Jacobite  agent,  nuless  he  was  in 
someway  deeply  involved  in  the  plot;  and  he  regarded 
Ronald's  assurances  to  the  contrary  as  the  outcome  of 
what  he  considered  an  entirely  mistaken  sense  of  loyalty 
to  the  Stuart  cause. 

"Its  all  very  well,  Ronald,"  he  said,  shaking  his  head 
sadly;  "but  when  they  get  you  to  London  they  will  find 
means  to  make  you  open  your  mouth.  They  have  doue 
away  with  the  thumb-screws  and  the  rack,  but  there  are 
other  ways  of  making  a  prisoner  speak,  and  it  would  be 
far  better  for  you  to  make  a  clean  breast  of  it  at  once. 
Janet  is  grieving  for  you  as  if  you  were  her  own  son,  and 
I  cannot  myself  attend  to  my  business.  Who  would  have 
thought  that  so  young  a  j;ul  should  have  got  himself 
mixed  up  in  such  sair  trouble!" 


BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIK  53 

"I  have  really  told  you  all,  bailie,  though  you  will  not 
believe  me,  and  I  am  sorry  indeed  for  the  trouble  I  have 
brought  upon  you  and  my  aunt" — for  Ronald  had  from 
the  first  been  taught  to  address  the  bailee  and  his  wife  as 
if  Malcolm  Anderson  had  been  his  real  father;  "auyhow  I 
vyish  they  would  settle  it.  I  would  rather  knov/  the  worst 
than  go  on  from  day  to  day  expecting  something  that 
never  happens." 

"You  have  to  wait,  Ronald,  till  vmrd  comes  from  Lon- 
don. If  they  write  from  there  that  your  case  can  be  dealt 
with  merely  for  the  assault  upon  the  watch  I  can  promise 
you  that  a  few  weeks  in  jail  are  all  that  you  are  like  to 
have;  but  I  fear  that  there  is  little  chance  of  that.  They 
are  sure  to  send  for  you  to  London,  and  whether  you  will 
ever  come  back  alive  the  gnde  Lord  only  knows.  We 
know  what  came  of  treason  thirty  years  ago,  and  like 
enough  they  will  be  even  more  severe  now,  seeing  that 
they  will  hold  that  folks  have  all  the  less  right  to  try  and 
disturb  matters  so  long  settled." 

"Have  you  seen  Malcolm?"  Ronald  asked,  to  change 
the  conversation. 

"Ay,  lad,  I  have  seen  liim,  and  the  meeting  was  not 
altogether  a  pleasant  one  for  either  of  us." 

"I  hope  you  have  not  quarreled  with  him  on  my  ac- 
count!" Ronald  said  eagerly. 

"We  have  not  exactly  quarreled,  but  we  have  had  words. 
I  could  not  but  tell  him  ray  opinion  as  to  his  learning  you 
to  take  to  such  course,  but  we  parted  friends;  but  I  doubt 
it  will  be  long  before  Janet  can  see  him  with  patience." 

The  jailer,  who  was  present  at  the  interview,  here  noti- 
fied that  the  bailie's  time  was  up. 

"I  shall  see  you  again,  Ronald,  before  they  take  you 
south.  I  would  that  1  could  do  more  to  help  you  besides 
just  coming  to  see  you." 

"  I  know  you  cannot,  uncle.     I  have  got  into  the  scrape 


54  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

and  must  take  the  consequences;  but  if  I  were  placed  in 
the  same  position  I  should  do  it  again." 

A  few  daj's  afterward,  as  he  was  eating  his  ration  of 
prison  bread,  Ronald  found  in  it  a  small  pellet  of  paper, 
and  on  opening  it  read  the  words:  "Keep  up  your  courage, 
friends  are  at  work  for  you.  You  will  hear  more  yet 
of  M.  A.^' 

Ronald  was  glad  to  know  that  his  old  friend  was  think- 
ing of  him,  but,  knowing  how  strong  was  the  prison,  he 
had  little  hopes  that  Malcolm  would  be  able  to  effect  any- 
thing to  help  him.     Still  the  note  gave  him  comfort. 

Three  days  later  Andrew  called  again  to  bid  him  good- 
by,  telling  him  that  orders  had  been  received  from  London 
that  he  was  to  be  sent  thither  by  ship. 

"I  should  like  to  have  seen  Malcolm  before  I  went,  if  1 
could,"  Ronald  said. 

"I  have  not  seen  him  for  several  days,"  the  bailie  said. 
"I  have  sent  down  several  times  to  the  house  where  he 
lodges,  but  he  is  always  away;  but,  whether  or  no,  there 
would  be  no  chance  of  your  seeing  him.  I  myself  had 
ditficulty  in  getting  leave  to  see  you,  though  a  bailie  and 
known  to  be  a  loyal  citizen.  But  Malcolm  knows  that 
there  would  be  no  chance  of  one  with  such  a  character  as 
his  getting  to  see  you,  and  that  it  would  draw  attention  to 
him  even  to  ask  such  a  thing,  which,  if  he  has  a  hand  in 
this  mad-brain  plot,  he  would  not  wish." 

"Malcolm  would  not  mind  a  straw  whether  they  kept  a 
watch  on  him  or  not,"  Ronald  said.  "Will  you  tell  him, 
when  you  see  him  next,  that  I  got  his  message." 

"  What  message?  I  have  given  you  no  message  that  I 
know  of." 

"He  will  know  what  I  mean.  Tell  him,  whether  aught 
comes  of  it  or  not  I  thank  him,  and  for  all  his  kindness  to 
me,  as  I  do  you  and  Aunt  .Janet." 

At  the  same  time  with  the  order  that  Ronald  should  be 


BONNIE  FJilNCE  CHARLIE.  65 

sent  to  Lonclon  the  authorities  of  Glasgow  received  an  in- 
timation that  the  ministers  felt  great  surprise  at  the  luke- 
•warmness  which  had  been  shown  in  allowing  so  notorious 
and  important  an  enemy  of  his  majesty  to  escape,  and  that 
the  king  himself  had  expressed  marked  displeasure  at  the 
conduct  of  the  city  authorities  in  the  matter.  Greatly 
mortified  at  the  upshot  of  an  affair  from  which  they  had 
hoped  to  obtain  much  credit  from  government,  and  believ- 
ing it  certain  that  there  were  many  greatly  interested  in 
getting  Ronald  out  of  the  hands  of  his  captors,  the  authori- 
ties took  every  precaution  to  prevent  it.  He  was  taken 
down  to  the  riverside  under  a  strong  escort,  and  in  ad- 
dition to  the  four  warders  who  were  to  be  in  charge  of  the 
prisoner  as  far  as  London,  they  put  on  board  twelve  men 
of  the  city  guard.  These  were  to  remain  with  the  ship 
until  she  was  well  out  at  sea,  and  then  to  return  in  a  boat 
■which  the  vessel  was  to  tow  behind  her. 

Eonald  could  not  but  smile  when  he  saw  all  these  for- 
midable preparations  for  his  safety.  At  the  same  time  he 
felt  that  any  hope  he  had  entertained  that  Malcolm  might, 
as  the  message  hinted,  make  an  attempt  at  rescue  were 
"blighted.  The  vessel  dropped  down  with  the  tide.  The 
orders  of  the  justices  had  been  so  strict  and  urgent  that 
the  whole  of  the  men  placed  on  board  kept  a  vigilant 
"watch.  Just  as  they  were  abreast  of  Dumbarton  the 
sound  of  oars  was  heard,  and  presently  a  boat  was  seen 
approaching.  As  it  got  nearer  two  men  were  seen  to  be 
rowing,  and  two  others  seated  in  the  stern;  but  as  the 
craft  was  a  large  one  there  was  room  for  others  to  be  lying 
in  the  bottom.  The  constable  in  charge  shouted  to  the 
boat  to  keep  off. 

"Stop  rowing,"  he  cried,  "and  come  no  nearer.  If  you 
do  we  fire,  and  as  I  don't  want  to  shed  your  blood  I  warn 
you  that  I  have  sixteen  armed  men  here." 

As  his  words  were  emphasized  by  the  row  of  men,  who 


gg  BONNIE  PRINCE  GIlAliLlE. 

■with  leveled  muskets  ranged  themselves  along  at  the  side 
ct  the  ship,  the  boat  ceased  rowing. 

"What  are  you  afraid  of?"  one  of  the  men  in  the  stern 
shouted.  "Cannot  a  fislierman's  boat  row  out  without 
heing  threatened  with  shooting?  What  are  you  and  your 
sixteen  armed  men  doing  on  board?  Are  you  expecting  a 
French  fleet  off  the  coast?  and  do  you  think  you  will  beat 
them  ofE  if  they  board  you?  How  long  have  the  Glasgow 
traders  taken  to  man  their  ships  with  fighting  men?" 

Ronald  was  in  the  cabin  under  the  poop;  it  opened  on 
to  the  waist,  and  received  its  light  from  an  opening  in  tlie 
door,  at  which  two  armed  men  had  stationed  themselves 
when  the  boat  was  heard  approaching.  Had  the  cabin 
possessed  a  porthole  through  which  he  could  have  squeezed 
himself  he  would  long  before  have  jumped  overboard  and 
tried  to  make  his  escape  by  swimming  under  cover  of  the 
darkness.  He  now  strove  to  force  the  door  open  for  he 
recognized  Malcolm's  voice,  and  doubted  not  that  hia 
friend  had  spoken  in  order  to  let  him  know  that  he  was 
there,  that  he  might  if  possible  leap  over  and  swim  to  the 
boat;  hut  it  was  fastened  strongly  without,  and  the  guards 
outside  shouted  that  they  would  fire  unless  he  remained 
quiet. 

No  reply  was  made  to  the  taunts  of  the  man  in  the  boat, 
and  slowly,  for  the  wind  was  but  just  filling  her  sails,  the 
vessel  dropped  down  the  river,  and  the  boat  was  presently 
lost  sight  of. 

In  the  morning  the  breeze  freshened.  It  was  not  till 
the  ship  was  eight  miles  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  river 
that  the  boat  was  pulled  up  alongside,  and  the  guard, 
taking  their  places  on  board,  hoisted  sail  and  started  on 
their  return  to  Glasgow. 

Once  fairly  at  sea  Ronald  was  allowed  to  leave  his  cabin. 
Now  that  he  was  enjoying  the  fr<=?h  air  liis  spirits  soon 
recovered  the  tone  which  they  I:ad  lost  somewhat  during 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  57 

his  three  weeks'  coufinement  in  prison,  and  he  thoroughly 
enjoyed  his  voyage.  The  man  who  was  in  charge  of  the 
guard  had  at  first  wished  to  place  some  restriction  on  his 
going  about  on  board  as  he  chose;  but  the  crew  sided  with 
the  young  prisoner,  and  threw  such  ridicule  on  the  idea 
that  four  warders  aud  a  head  constable  were  afraid,  even 
for  a  moment,  to  lose  sight  of  a  boy  on  board  a  ship  at  sea, 
that  he  gave  way,  and  allowed  Ronald  free  liberty  of  action, 
although  he  warned  his  subordinates  that  they  must  not 
relax  their  caution  for  a  moment. 

"The  crew  are  all  with  him.  They  think  it  a  shame 
that  a  lad  like  this  should  be  hauled  to  London  as  a  pris- 
oner charged  with  treasonable  practices;  aud  sailors,  when 
they  once  get  an  idea  into  their  heads,  are  as  obstinate  as 
Highland  cattle.  I  have  told  them  that  he  drew  a  sword 
and  held  the  staircase  against  us  all  while  a  noted  traitor 
made  his  escape,  and  that  he  ran  one  of  us  through  the 
shoulder,  and  they  only  shouted  with  laughter,  and  said 
he  was  a  brave  young  cock.  Like  as  not,  if  they  had  a 
chance,  these  men  would  aid  him  to  escape,  and  then  we 
should  have  to  answer  for  it,  and  heavily  too;  loss  of  place 
aud  imprisonment  would  be  the  least  of  what  we  miglit  ex- 
pect; so  though,  while  when  at  sea  aud  in  full  daylight 
he  can  do  as  he  pleases,  we  must  be  doubly  vigilaut  at 
night,  or  in  port  if  the  vessel  should  have  to  put  in." 

Accordingly,  to  the  great  disgust  of  the  sailors  the  watch 
by  turns  stood  sentry  outside  Ronald's  door  at  night, 
thereby  defeating  a  plan  which  the  sailors  had  formed  of 
lowering  a  boat  the  first  night  they  passed  near  land,  and 
letting  Ronald  make  his  escape  to  shore. 

The  wind  was  favorable  until  the  vessel  rounded  the 
Land's  End.  After  that  it  became  baffling  and  fickle, 
and  it  was  more  than  three  weeks  after  the  date  of  her 
sailing  from  Glasgow  that  the  vessel  entered  the  mouth  of 
the  Thames.     By   this  time  Ronald's  boyish   spirits  had 


68  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

allayed  all  suspicion  on  the  part  of  his  guards.  He  joked 
with  the  sailors,  climbed  about  the  rigging  like  a  cat,  and 
was  so  little  affected  by  his  position  that  the  guards  were 
convinced  that  he  was  free  from  the  burden  of  any  state 
secret,  and  that  no  apprehension  of  any  serious  consequence 
to  himself  was  weighing  upon  him. 

"Poor  lad!"  the  head  warder  said;  "he  will  need  all  his 
spirits.  He  will  have  hard  work  to  make  the  king's  coun- 
cil believe  that  he  interfered  in  such  a  matter  as  this  from 
a  pure  love  of  adventure.  He  vvill  have  many  a  weary  month 
to  pass  in  prison  before  they  free  him,  I  reckon.  It  goes 
against  my  heart  to  hand  over  such  a  mere  laddie  as  a  pris- 
oner; still  it  is  no  matter  of  mine.  I  have  my  duty  to  do, 
and  it's  not  for  me  to  question  the  orders  I  have  received, 
or  to  argue  whether  a  prisoner  is  innocent  or  guilty." 

As  the  vessel  anchored  off  Gravesend  to  wait  for  the 
turn  of  the  tide  to  take  her  up,  a  boat  rowed  by  a  water- 
man, and  with  a  man  sitting  in  the  stern,  passed  close  by 
the  ship.  The  head  warder  had  now  redoubled  his  vigi- 
lance, and  one  of  the  guards  with  loaded  musket  was 
standing  on  the  deck  not  far  from  Ronald,  who  was  sitting 
on  the  taffrail.  As  the  boat  passed  some  twenty  yards 
astern  of  the  ship  the  man  who  was  not  rowing  turned 
round  for  a  moment  and  looked  up  at  Konald.  It  was  but 
a  momentary  glance  that  the  lad  caught  of  his  face,  and 
he  suppressed  with  difficulty  a  cry  of  surprise,  for  he  rec- 
ognized Malcolm  Anderson.  The  rower  continued  stead- 
ily to  ply  his  oars,  and  continued  his  course  toward  another 
ship  anchored  lower  down  the  river.  Ronald  stood  watch- 
ing the  boat,  and  saw  that  after  making  a  wide  sweep  it 
was  rowed  back  again  to  Gravesend. 

Ronald  had  no  doubt  that  Malcolm  had  come  south  in 
hopes  of  effecting  his  escape,  and  guessed  that  he  had 
taken  up  his  post  at  Gravesend  with  the  intention  of  ex- 
amining every  ship  as  she  passed  up  until  the  one  in  which 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  §9 

he  knew  he  had  sailed  made  its  appearance.  "What  his 
next  step  would  be  he  could  not  tell;  but  he  determined 
to  keep  a  vigilant  look-out,  and  to  avail  himself  instantly 
of  any  opportunity  which  might  offer. 

As  the  captain  did  not  care  about  proceeding  np  the 
river  after  dark  it  was  not  until  the  tide  turned,  just  as 
morning  broke,  that  the  anchor  was  weighed.  There  was 
alight  breeze  which  just  sufficed  to  give  the  vessel  steerage- 
"way,  and  a  mist  hung  on  the  water.  Konald  took  his 
favorite  seat  on  the  taEErail,  and  kept  a  vigilant  watch 
upon  every  craft  which  seemed  likely  to  come  near  the 
vessel. 

Greenwich  was  passed,  and  the  vessel  presently  ap- 
proached the  crowded  part  of  the  Pool.  It  was  near  high- 
tide  now,  and  the  captain  was  congratulating  himself  that 
he  should  just  reach  a  berth  opposite  the  Tower  before  it 
turned.  Presently  a  boat  with  two  rowers  shot  out  from 
behind  a  tier  of  vessels  and  passed  close  under  the  stern  of 
the  Glasgow  Lass.  A  man  was  steering  whom  Eonald  in- 
stantly recognized. 

"Jump!"  he  cried,  and  Eonald  without  a  moment's 
hesitation  leaped  from  the  taffrail. 

He  came  up  close  to  the  boat,  and  was  instantly  hauled 
on  board  by  Malcolm.  Just  at  that  moment  the  guard, 
who  had  stood  stupefied  by  Ronald's  sudden  action,  gave 
a  shout  of  alarm  and  discharged  his  piece.  The  ball  struck 
the  boat  close  to  Eonald.  It  was  already  in  motion;  the 
men  bent  to  the  oars,  and  the  boat  glided  toward  the  Sur- 
rey side  of  the  river.  Loud  shouts  arose  from  on  board 
the  vessel,  and  four  bullets  cut  the  water  round  the  boat; 
but  before  the  muskets  could  be  reloaded  Malcolm  had 
steered  the  boat  through  a  tier  of  vessels,  whose  crews, 
attracted  by  the  firing,  cheered  the  fugitives  lustily. 

A  minute  later  they  had  reached  some  landing-steps. 
Malcolm  tossed  some  money  to  the  rowers,  and  then  sprang 


60  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

ashore  with  Ronald,  and  handed  the  latter  a  long  coat 
vyhich  would  reach  to  his  heels  and  conceal  the  drenched 
state  of  his  clothing  from  notice. 

"We  have  tricked  them  uicelj,  dear  boy,"  he  said;  "wo 
are  safe  now.  Long  before  they  can  lower  a  boat  and  get 
here  we  shall  be  safe  in  shelter,  and  our  five  Glasgow  bodies 
will  have  something  to  do  to  look  for  us  here." 

Moderating  his  pace  so  as  to  avoid  attracting  attention, 
Malcolm  proceeded  along  several  streets  and  lanes,  and 
presently  stopped  at  the  door  of  a  little  shop. 

"I  am  lodging  here,"  he  said,  "and  have  told  the  people 
of  the  house  that  I  am  expecting  a  nephew  back  from  a 
cruise  in  the  Mediterranean." 

As  he  passed  through  the  shop  he  said  to  the  woman 
behind  the  counter:  "Here  he  is  safe  and  sound.  He's 
been  some  days  longer  than  I  expected,  but  I  was  not  so 
very  far  wrong  in  my  calculations.  The  young  scamp  has 
had  enough  of  the  sea,  and  has  agreed  to  go  back  again 
with  me  to  his  own  people." 

"That's  right,"  the  woman  said.  "My  own  boy  ran 
av/ay  two  years  ago,  and  I  hope  he  will  have  come  to  his 
senses  by  the  time  he  gets  back  again." 

When  they  were  together  in  their  room  upstairs  Malcolm 
threw  his  arms  round  Ronald's  neck. 

"Thank  God,  my  dear  boy,  I  have  got  yon  out  of  the 
clutches  of  the  law!  You  do  not  know  how  I  have  been 
fretting  since  1  heard  you  were  caught,  and  thought  that 
if  ill  came  to  you  it  would  be  all  my  fault.  And  now  tell 
me  how  you  got  into  this  scrape,  for  it  has  been  puzzling 
me  ever  since  I  heard  it.  Surely  when  I  saw  you  last  you 
knew  nothing  about  any  Jacobite  goings-on?" 

Ronald  related  the  whole  particulars  of  his  adventure, 
and  said  that  even  now  he  was  absolutely  ignorant  who 
was  the  man  whom  he  had  aided  to  escape. 

"I  know  no  more  than  you  do,  Ronald,  but  they  must 


Young  Ronald  escapes  from  his  guards.— Page  59. 

—Bonnie  Prince  Charlie. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  61 

have  thonght  his  capture  an  important  one  by  the  fusa 
they  made  over  his  escape.  And  now,  to  think  that  you 
have  slipped  out  of  their  hands  too!"  and  Malcolm  broke 
into  a  lond  langh.  "I  would  give  a  month's  earnings  to 
see  the  faces  of  the  guard  as  they  make  their  report  that 
they  have  arrived  empty-handed.  I  was  right  glad  when 
I  saw  you.  I  was  afraid  you  might  have  given  them  the 
slip  on  the  way,  and  then  there  would  have  been  no  saying 
when  we  might  have  found  each  other  again." 

"  The  sailors  would  have  lowered  a  boat  at  night  and  let 
me  make  for  the  land,"  Eonald  said,  "but  there  was  a 
good  guard  kept  over  me.  The  door  was  locked  and  a 
sentry  always  on  watch,  and  I  had  quite  given  up  all  hope 
until  I  saw  you  at  Gravesend.  And  now,  what  do  you 
intend  to  do?     Make  our  way  back  to  Scotland?" 

"No,  no,  lad,  that  would  never  do.  There  will  be  a  hue 
and  cry  after  you,  and  all  the  nortliern  routes  will  be 
"watched.  No,  I  shall  make  a  bargain  with  some  Dutch 
skipper  to  take  us  across  the  water,  and  then  we  will  make 
our  way  to  Paris." 

"But  have  you  got  money,  Malcolm?" 

"I  have  got  your  purse,  lad.  I  went  to  Andrew  and 
said  that  I  wanted  it  for  you,  but  that  he  was  to  ask  no 
questions,  so  that  whatever  came  of  it  he  could  say  that 
he  knew  nothing.     He  gave  it  me  at  once,  saying  only: 

"*  Rem  ember,  Malcolm,  you  have  done  the  boy  some 
harm  already  with  your  teaching,  see  that  you  do  him  no 
further  harm.  I  guess  you  are  bent  on  some  hare-brained 
plan,  but  whatever  it  be  I  wish  you  success.'" 


Q2  BONNIE  PIUNVE  GHARLISL 


CHAPTEK   rV. 

IN    FRANCE. 

The  next  day  Malcolm  v/eut  out  alone,  and  on  his  re- 
turn told  Ronald  that  there  were  placards  on  the  walls 
oSeriug  a  reward  of  a  hundred  pounds  for  his  apprehension. 

"You  don't  think  the  people  below  have  any  suspicion, 
Malcolm?" 

"^ot  they,"  Malcolm  replied.  "I  was  telling  them  last 
night  after  you  had  gone  to  bed  all  about  the  places  you  have 
been  voyaging  to,  and  how  anxious  your  father,  a  snog 
farmer  near  Newcastle,  was  to  have  you  back  again.  I 
had  spoken  to  them  before  so  as  to  prepare  them  for  your 
coming,  and  the  old  woman  takes  quite  an  interest  in  you,, 
because  her  son  at  sea  is  a  lad  just  about  your  ago.  I  have 
brought  you  in  a  suit  of  sailor  clothes;  we  will  go  down 
and  have  a  chat  with  them  after  the  shop  is  closed  of  a 
night.  You  will  remember  Newcastle  and  the  farm,  and 
can  tell  them  of  your  escape  from  Greek  pirates,  and  how 
nearly  you  wore  taken  by  a  French  frigate  near  the  straits." 

The  consternation  of  the  v.-atch  at  Ronald's  escn.pe  was 
extreme.  The  shot  which  tlie  man  on  guard  had  fired 
was  their  first  intimation  of  the  event,  and  seizing  their 
muskets  they  had  hastily  discharged  them  in  the  direction 
of  the  fugitive,  and  had  then  shouted  for  a  boat  to  be  low- 
ered. But  never  was  a  boat  longer  getting  into  tlie  water 
than  was  that  of  the  Glasgow  Lass  upon  this  occasion. 
The  captain  gave  his  orders  in  a  leisurely  way,  and  the 


BOWlSriE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  63 

crew  were  even  slower  in  executing  tliem.  Then  somehow 
the  fall  stack  and  the  boat  wouldn't  lower.  When  ;it  last 
she  was  in  the  v^'ater  it  was  found  that  the  thole-pins  were 
missing;  these  being  found  she  was  rowed  across  the  river, 
the  five  constables  undergoing  a  running  fire  of  jokes  and 
hilarity  from  the  sailors  of  the  ships  they  passed  near. 
In  answer  to  their  inquiries  where  the  fugitives  landed, 
some  of  the  sailors  shouted  that  she  had  pulled  up  the 
river  behind  the  tier  of  vessels,  others  declared  that  she 
had  rowed  down  the  river,  while  others  insisted  that  she 
had  sunk  with  all  hands  close  by, 

Com.pletely  bewildered,  the  chief  of  the  party  told  the 
sailors  to  put  them  ashore  at  the  first  landing.  When  the 
party  gained  the  streets  they  inquired  eagerly  of  all  they 
met  whether  they  had  seen  aught  of  the  fugitives.  Fev/ 
of  those  they  questioned  understood  the  broad  Scotch  in 
which  the  question  was  asked,  others  laughed  in  their  faces 
and  asked  how  they  were  to  know  the  man  and  boy  they 
wanted  from  any  others;  and  after  vainly  looking  about 
for  some  time  they  returned  to  th?  stairs,  only  to  find  that 
the  boat  had  returned  to  the  ship. 

A  waterman's  boat  was  now  hired,  and  the  rov;er,  who 
had  heard  what  had  happened,  demanded  a  sum  for  put- 
ting them  on  board  which  horrified  them;  but  at  last, 
after  much  bargaining,  they  were  conveyed  back  to  the 
ship.  An  hour  later  the  chief  of  the  party  went  ashore, 
and  repairing  to  the  Tower,  where  he  had  been  ordered  to 
conduct  the  prisoner,  reported  his  escape.  He  was  at  once 
taken  into  custody  on  the  charge  of  permitting  the  escape 
of  his  prisoner,  and  it  was  not  until  three  days  later,  upon 
the  evidence  of  his  men  and  of  the  captain  and  officers  of 
the  ship,  that  he  was  released. 

His  four  men  were  put  on  board  a  ship  returning  to 
Glasgow  next  day,  while  he  liimself  was  kept  to  identify 
the  fugitive  should  he  be  caught. 


64  BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE. 

A  week  later  Malcolm  told  Ronald  that  he  had  made 
arrangements  with  the  captain  of  a  Dutch  vessel  to  take 
them  over  to  Holland. 

"We  are  to  go  on  board  at  Gravesend,"  he  said,  "for 
they  are  searching  all  ships  bound  for  foreign  ports.  It  is 
not  for  you  especially,  but  there  are  supposed  to  be  many 
Jacobites  going  to  and  fro,  and  they  will  lay  hands  on  any 
one  who  cannot  give  a  satisfactory  account  of  himself.  So 
it  is  just  as  well  for  us  to  avoid  questioning." 

Accordingly  the  next  day  they  walked  down  to  Graves- 
end,  and  taking  boat  there  boarded  the  Dutch  vessel  when 
she  came  along  on  the  following  day.  The  Dutch  captain 
received  them  civilly;  he  had  been  told  by  Malcolm  that 
they  wished  to  leave  the  country  privately,  and  guessed 
that  they  were  in  some  way  fugitives  from  the  law,  but  as 
he  was  to  be  well  paid  this  gave  him  no  concern.  There 
were  no  other  passengers,  and  a  roomy  cabin  was  placed  at 
their  disposal.  They  passed  down  the  river  without  im- 
pediment, and  anchored  that  night  ofE  Sheerness. 

"These  Dutch  traders  are  but  slow  craft,"  Malcolm  said 
as  he  walked  impatiently  up  and  down  the  deck  next 
morning,  watching  the  slow  progress  which  they  made 
past  the  shore.  "I  wish  we  could  have  got  a  passage  direct 
to  France,  but  of  course  that  is  impossible  now  the  two 
nations  are  at  war." 

"What  is  the  war  about,  Malcolm?  I  heard  at  home 
that  they  were  fighting,  but  yet  that  somehow  the  two 
countries  were  not  at  war." 

"No,  I  don't  know  how  that  comes  about,"  Malcolm 
said.  "England  has  a  minister  still  at  Paris;  but  for  all 
that  King  George  is  at  the  head  of  a  number  of  British 
troops  in  Germany  fighting  against  the  French  there." 

"But  what  is  it  about,  Malcolm?" 

"Well,  it  is  a  matter  which  concerns  Hanover  more  than 
England;  in  fact  England  has  no  interest  in  the  matter  at 


BONNIE  PRlNCff  CHARLIE,  65 

all  as  far  as  I  can  see,  except  that  as  France  takes  one  side 
she  takes  the  other,  becanse  she  is  afraid  of  France  get- 
ting too  strong.  However,  it  is  a  German  business,  and 
England  is  mixed  np  in  it  only  because  her  present  king  is 
a  Hanoverian  and  not  an  Englishman.  This  is  the  matter 
as  far  as  I  can  make  it  out.  Charles  VI.,  Emperor  of 
Germany,  died  in  October,  1740.  It  had  been  arranged 
by  a  sort  of  general  agreement  called  the  Pragmatic  Sanc- 
tion—" 

"  What  an  extraordinary  name,  Malcolm !  What  does  it 
mean?" 

"I  have  not  the  least  idea  in  the  world,  lad.  However, 
that  is  what  it  is  called.  It  was  signed  by  a  lot  of  powers, 
of  whom  England  was  one,  and  by  it  all  parties  agreed 
that  Charles'  daughter  Maria  Theresa  was  to  become  Em- 
press of  Austria.  However,  when  the  emperor  was  dead 
the  Elector  of  Bavaria  claimed  to  be  emperor,  and  he  was 
supported  by  France,  by  Spain,  and  by  Frederick  of  Prussia, 
and  they  marched  to  Vienna,  enthroned  the  elector  as 
Duke  of  Austria,  and  drove  Maria  Theresa  to  take  refuge 
in  Hungary,  where  she  was  warmly  supported. 

"  The  English  parliament  voted  a  large  sum  to  enable 
the  empress  to  carry  on  the  war,  and  last  year  sixteen 
thousand  men  under  the  Earl  of  Stair  crossed  the  seas  to 
co-operate  with  the  Dutch,  who  were  warm  supporters  of 
the  empress,  and  were  joined  by  six  thousand  Hessians 
and  sixteen  thousand  Hanoverians  in  British  pay;  but 
after  all  nothing  was  done  last  year,  for  as  in  the  last  war 
the  Dutch  were  not  ready  to  begin,  and  the  English  army 
were  in  consequence  kept  idle." 

"  Then  it  seems  that  every  one  was  against  the  empress 
except  England  and  these  three  little  states." 

"That  is  pretty  nearly  so,"  Malcolm  said;  "but  at  pres- 
ent the  empress  has  bought  off  the  Prussians,  whose  king 
joined  in  the  affair  solely  for  his  own  advantage,  by  giving 


66  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

him  the  provmce  of  Silesia,  so  that  iu  fact  at  present  it  is 
England  and  Hanover,  which  is  all  the  same  thing,  with 
the  Dutch  and  Hessians,  against  France  and  Bavaria,  for 
I  don't  think  that  at  present  Spain  has  sent  any  troops." 

"  Well,  it  seems  to  me  a  downright  shame,"  Eouald  said 
indignantly;  "and  though  I  have  no  great  love  for  the 
English,  and  hate  their  Hanoverian  George  and  his  people, 
I  shouldn't  like  to  fight  with  one  of  the  Scotch  regiments 
iu  the  French  service  iu  such  a  quarrel." 

Malcolm  laughed. 

"My  dear  lad,  if  every  soldier  were  to  discuss  the  merits 
of  the  quarrel  in  which  he  is  ordered  to  fight  there  would 
be  an  end  of  all  discipline." 

"Yes,  I  see  that,"  Eonald  agreed;  "if  one  is  once  a  sol- 
dier he  has  only  to  obey  orders.  But  one  need  uothecomo 
a  soldier  just  at  the  time  when  he  would  be  called  upou  to 
1      fight  for  a  cause  which  he  considers  unjust." 

"That  is  so,  Ronald,  and  it's  fortunate,  if  your  feelings 
are  iu  favor  of  Maria  Theresa,  that  we  are  not  thinking  of 
enlisting  just  at  present,  for  you  v/culd  be  puzzled  which 
side  to  take.  If  you  fought  for  her  you  would  have  to 
fight  under  the  Hanoverian;  if  you  fight  against  the  Han- 
overian you  are  fighting  against  Maria  Theresa." 

"Well,  we  don't  want  to  fight  at  all,"  Eonald  said. 
"What  we  want  to  do  is  to  find  out  something  about  my 
father.  I  wish  the  voyage  was  at  an  end,  and  that  we  had 
our  faces  toward  Paris." 

"It  will  not  be  so  easy  to  cross  from  Holland  into 
France,"  Malcolm  said.  "I  wish  our  voyage  was  at  an 
end  for  another  reason,  for  unless  I  mistake  there  is  a 
storm  brewing  up." 

Malcolm's  prediction  as  to  the  weather  was  spcsdily 
Terified.  The  wind  rose  rapidly,  ragged  olonds  hurried 
across  the  sky,  and  the  waves  got  up  fast,  and  by  iilglitfall 
the  sea  had  become   sally  hsavyj  dashing  ia  slicets  hi.j-ls  ia 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  6? 

tho  air  every  time  the  bluff-bowed  craft  plunged  into  it. 
Long  before  this  Konald  bad  gone  below  prostrate  with 
sea-sickness. 

"It's  just  like  the  obstinacy  of  these  Dutchmen,"  Mal- 
colm muttered  to  himself  as  he  held  on  by  a  shroud  and 
watched  the  laboring  ship.  "It  must  have  been  clear  to 
any  one  before  we  were  well  out  of  the  river  that  we  were 
going  to  have  a  gale,  and  as  the  wind  then  was  nearly  due 
south,  we  could  have  run  back  again  and  anchored  in  shel- 
ter till  it  was  over.  Now  it  has  backed  round  nearly  into 
cur  teeth,  with  every  sign  of  its  getting  into  the  norlh, 
and  then  we  shall  have  the  French  coast  on  our  lee.  It's 
not  very  serions  yet,  but  if  the  wind  goes  on  rising  as  it 
has  done  for  the  last  four  or  five  hours  we  shall  have  a  gale 
to  remember  before  the  morning." 

Before  daylight,  indeed,  a  tremendous  sea  was  running, 
and  the  wind  was  blowing  with  terrible  force  from  the 
north.  Although  under  but  a  rag  of  canvas  the  brig  was 
pressed  down  gunwale  deep,  and  each  wave  as  it  struck 
her  broadside  seemed  to  heave  her  bodily  to  leeward. 
Malcolm  on  coming  on  deck  made  his  way  aft  and  glanced 
at  the  compass,  and  then  took  a  long  look  over  the  foam- 
ing water  toward  where  he  knew  the  French  coast  must 
lie.  The  wind  was  two  or  three  points  east  of  north,  and 
as  the  clumsy  craft  would  not  sail  within  several  points  of 
the  wind  she  was  heading  nearly  east. 

"She  is  making  a  foot  to  leeward  for  every  one  she 
forges  ahead,"  he  said  to  himself.  "If  she  has  been  at 
this  work  all  night  we  cannot  be  far  from  the  coast." 

So  the  Dutch  skipper  appeared  to  think,  for  a  few 
minutes  afterward  he  gave  orders  to  bring  her  about  on 
the  other  tack.  Three  times  they  tried  and  failed;  each 
time  the  vessel  slowly  came  up  into  the  wind,  but  the 
heavy  waves  forced  her  head  off  again  before  the  head-sails 
filled.     Then  the  skipper  gave  orders  to  wear  her.     Her 


68  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

head  payed  oif  to  the  wind  nntil  she  was  nearly  before  it. 
Two  or  three  great  seas  struck  her  stern  and  hnried  her 
head  deeply,  but  at  last  the  boom  swung  over  and  her 
head  came  up  on  the  other  tack.  During  the  course  of 
these  maneuvers  she  had  made  fully  two  miles  leeway,  and 
when  she  was  fairly  under  sail  with  her  head  to  the  west 
Malcolm  took  another  long  look  toward  the  south. 

"Just  as  I  thought,"  he  said.  "There  is  white  water 
there  and  a  dark  line  behind  it.  That  is  the  French  coast, 
sure  enough."  n 

It  would  have  been  useless  to  speak,  but  he  touched  the 
arm  of  the  skipper  and  pointed  to  leeward.  The  skipper 
looked  in  this  direction  for  a  minute  and  then  gave  the 
order  for  more  sail  to  be  put  on  the  ship,  to  endeavor  to 
beat  out  in  the  teeth  of  the  gale.  But  even  when  pressed 
to  the  utmost  it  was  evident  to  Malcolm  that  the  force  of 
the  waves  was  driving  her  faster  toward  the  coast  than  she 
could  make  off  it,  and  he  went  below  and  told  Eonald  to 
come  on  deck. 

"I  would  rather  lie  here,"  Eonald  said. 

"Nonsense,  lad!  The  wind  and  spray  will  soon  knock 
the  sickness  out  of  you ;  and  you  Avill  want  all  your  wits 
about  yon,  for  it  won't  be  many  hours  before  we  are 
bumping  on  the  sands,  and  stoutly  built  as  the  craft  is  she 
won't  hold  together  long  in  such  a  sea  as  this." 

"  Do  you  really  mean  it,  Malcolm,  or  are  you  only  trying 
to  get  me  on  deck?" 

"I  mean  it,  lad.  We  are  drifting  fast  upon  the  French 
coast,  and  there  is  no  hope  of  her  clawing  off  in  the  teeth 
of  such  a  gale  as  this." 

The  news  aroused  Ronald  effectually.  He  had  not  suf- 
fered at  all  on  the  voyage  down  from  Glasgow,  and  he  was 
already  beginning  to  feel  better  when  Malcolm  vient  down 
to  call  him.  He  was  soon  on  deck  holding  on  by  the 
bnlwarkf 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE,  69 

"There  it' is,  that  long  low  black  line;  it  looks  a  long 
way  off  because  the  air  is  full  of  spray  and  the  coast  is  low, 
but  it's  not  more  than  three  or  four  miles;  look  at  that 
broad  belt  of  foam." 

For  some  hours  the  Dutch  skipper  did  his  best  to  beat 
to  -windward,  but  in  vain,  the  vessel  drove  nearer  and 
nearer  toward  the  shore;  the  anchors  were  got  in  readiness, 
and  when  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  line  of  breakers 
the  vessel's  head  was  brought  up  into  the  wind,  and  the 
lashings  of  the  two  anchors  cut  simultaneously. 

"Will  they  hold  her,  do  yon  think?"  Eonald  asked. 

"Not  a  chance  of  it,  Eonald.  Of  course  the  captain  is 
right  to  try;  but  no  cables  were  ever  made  that  would  hold 
such  a  bluff-bowed  craft  as  this  in  the  teeth  of  such  a  wind 
and  sea." 

The  cables  ran  out  to  the  bitts.  Just  as  they  tightened 
a  great  sea  rolled  in  on  the  bow.  Two  dull  reports  were 
heard,  and  then  her  head  payed  off.  The  jib  was  run  up 
instantly  to  help  her  round,  and  under  this  sail  the  brig 
•was  headed  directly  toward  the  shore.  The  sea  was  break- 
ing round  them  now;  but  the  brig  was  almost  flat-bottomed 
and  drew  but  little  water.  All  on  board  hung  on  to  the 
shroud  and  bulwarks,  momentarily  expecting  a  crash,  but 
she  drove  on  through  the  surf  until  within  a  hundred  yards 
of  the  shore.  Then  as  she  went  down  in  the  trough  of  a 
wave  there  was  a  mighty  crash.  The  next  wave  SAvept 
her  forward  her  own  length. 

Then  there  v,'as  another  crash  even  more  tremendous 
than  the  first,  and  her  masts  simultaneously  went  over  the 
side.  The  next  Avave  moved  her  but  a  few  feet;  the  one 
which  followed,  finding  her  immovable,  piled  itself  higher 
over  her,  and  swept  in  a  cataract  down  her  sloping  deck. 
Her  stern  had  swung  round  after  the  first  shot,  and  she 
now  lay  broadside  to  the  waves.  The  Dutch  skipper  and 
his  crew  behaved  with  the  greatest  calmness;  the  ship  lay 


70  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

over  at  such  an  angle  that  it  was  impossible  to  stand  on 
i\\Q  deck;  but  the  captain  managed  to  get  on  the  upper 
rail,  and  although  frequently  almost  washed  ol!  by  the 
tras,  contrived  to  cut  the  sb.rouds  and  ropes  that  still  at- 
tached the  masts  to  the  ship  there.  Then  he  joined  the 
crew,  v/ho  were  standing  breast-high  in  the  water  on  tlie 
lee  side,  the  lloating  masts  were  pulled  in  until  within  a 
few  yards  of  the  vessel,  and  such  of  the  crew  as  could  swim 
made  toward  tliera. 

The  skipper  cut  the  last  rope  that  bound  them,  and 
then  plunged  in  and  joined  his  men.  The  distance  was 
little  over  iifty  yards  to  the  shore,  and  the  wreck  formed  a 
partial  shelter.  A  crowd  of  people  were  assembled  at  the 
edge  of  the  beach  with  ropes  in  readiness  to  give  any  assist- 
ance in  their  power.  Malcolm  and  Ronald  were  among 
those  who  had  swam  to  the  masts,  but  when  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  shore  the  former  shouted  in  the  latter's  ear: 

"Swim  oiJ,  lad,  the  masts  might  crush  us." 

As  soon  as  they  neared  the  shore  a  number  of  ropes  were 
thrown.  Most  of  the  sailors,  seeing  the  danger  of  being 
crushed,  followed  the  example  of  Malcolm,  and  left  the 
masts.  Malcolm  and  Ronald  swam  just  outside  the  point 
where  the  waves  broke  until  a  line  fell  in  the  water  close 
to  them.     They  grasped  it  at  once. 

"Give  it  a  twist  round  your  arm,"  Malcolm  shouted, 
"or  the  back-wash  will  tear  you  from  it." 

The  sailors  on  shore  watched  their  opportunity,  and  the 
instant  a  wave  passed  beneath  the  two  swimmers  ran  up 
the  beach  at  full  speed  with  the  rope.  There  was  a  crash. 
Ronald  felt  himself  shot  forward  with  great  rapidity,  then 
as  he  touched  the  ground  with  his  feet  they  were  swept 
from  under  him,  and  so  great  was  the  strain  that  he  felt 
as  if  his  arm  was  being  pulled  from  the  socket.  A  few 
seconds  later  he  Avas  lying  at  full  length  upon  the  sands, 
and  before  the  next  wave  reached  him  a  dozen  men  had 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  71 

jrnslied  down  and  seized  liim  and  Malcolm,  and  carried 
them  beyond  its  influence^  For  a  minute  or  two  Ronald 
ielt  too  bruised  and  out  of  breath  to  move.  Then  ho 
heard  Malcolm's  voice: 

"Are  you  hurt,  Ronald?" 

"No;  I  think  not,  Malcolm,"  he  replied,  making  an 
effort  to  sit  up.     "Are  you?" 

"No,  lad;  bruised  a  bit,  but  no  worse." 

One  by  one  the  sailors  v.-ere  brought  ashore,  one  with 
both  legs  broken  from  the  force  with  which  he  was  dashed 
down  by  the  surf,  and  one  mau  who  stuck  to  the  mast  was 
crushed  to  deatii  as  it  was  rolled  over  and  over  on  to  the 
beach.  The  captain  and  three  sailors  were,  like  Malcolm 
and  Ronald,  unhurt.  There  still  remained  four  men  on 
the  wreck.  Fortunately  she  had  struck  just  at  high-tide, 
and  so  stoutly  was  she  built  that  she  held  together  in  spite 
of  the  tremendous  seas,  and  in  an  hour  the  four  sailors 
were  able  to  wade  breast-high  to  the  shore. 

They  found  that  the  spot  where  the  vessel  had  struck 
was  half  a  mile  west  of  Gravelines.  They  were  taken  to 
the  town,  and  were  hospitably  entertained.  A  small  body 
of  soldiers  were  quartered  there,  and  the  officer  in  com- 
mand told  the  Dutch  skipper  that  as  the  two  nations  were 
at  war  he  and  his  crew  must  be  detained  until  he  received 
orders  respecting  them.  On  learning  from  Malcolm  that 
he  and  Ronald  were  passengers,  and  were  Scotsmen  making 
their  way  from  England  to  escape  imprisonment  as  friends 
of  the  Stuarts,  and  that  he  had  for  twelve  years  served  in 
one  of  the  Scotch  regiments  of  Louis,  and  was  now  bound 
for  Paris,  the  officer  said  that  they  were  free  to  continue 
their  journey  at  once. 

It  was  two  or  three  days  before  they  started,  for  they 
found  the  next  morning  that  they  were  both  too  severely 
bruised  to  set  out  at  once  on  the  journey.  As  Malcolm 
had   taken  care   to  keep  the  purse  containing  Ronald's 


72  BONNIE  PBINGE  CHARLIE, 

money  secnrely  fastened  to  a  belt  under  his  clothes  they 
had  no  lack  of  funds;  but  as  time  was  no  object  they 
started  for  Paris  on  foot.  Ronald  greatly  enjoyed  the 
journey.  Bright  weather  had  set  in  after  the  storm.  It 
was  now  the  middle  of  May,  all  nature  was  bright  and 
cheerful,  the  dresses  of  the  peasantry,  the  style  of  archi- 
tecture so  different  to  that  to  which  he  was  accustomed  in 
Scotland,  and  everything  else  were  new  and  strange  to 
him.  Malcolm  spoke  French  as  fluently  as  his  own  lan- 
guage, and  they  had  therefore  no  difficulty  or  trouble  on 
the  way. 

They  arrived  at  Paris  without  any  adventure.  Malcolm 
went  to  a  cabaret  which  had  at  the  time  when  he  was  in 
the  French  service  been  much  frequented  by  Scotch  sol- 
diers, being  kept  by  a  countryman  of  their  own,  an  ex- 
sergeant  in  one  of  the  Scottish  regiments. 

"Ah!  Sandy  Macgregor,"  Malcolm  exclaimed  as  the 
proprietor  of  the  place  approached  to  take  their  order. 
"So  you  are  still  in  the  flesh,  man!  Eight  glad  am  I  to 
see  you  again." 

"I  know  your  face,"  Sandy  replied;  "but  I  canna  just 
say  what  your  name  might  be." 

"Malcolm  Anderson,  of  Leslie's  Scotch  regiment.  It's 
fourteen  years  since  I  left  them  now;  but  I  was  here  again 
four  years  later,  if  you  can  remember,  when  I  came  over 
to  try  and  find  out  if  aught  had  been  heard  of  the  colonel." 

"Ay,  ay,"  Sandy  said,  grasping  Malcolm's  outstretched 
hand  warmly.  "It  all  comes  back  to  me  now.  Eight 
glad  am  I  to  see  you.  And  who  is  the  lad  ye  have  brought 
with  you?  A  Scot  by  his  face  and  bearing,  I  will  be  bound, 
but  young  yet  for  the  service  if  that  be  what  he  is  thinking 
of." 

"He  is  the  colonel's  son,  Sandy.  You  will  remember  I 
told  you  I  liad  carried  him  back  to  Scotland  with  me;  but 
I  need  not  tell  ye  that  this  is  betwixt  ourselves,  for  those 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  73 

who  have  so  badly  treated  his  father  might  well  have  a 
grndge  against  the  son,  and  all  the  more  that  he  is  the 
rightful  heir  to  many  a  broad  acre  here  in  France." 

"I  give  you  a  hearty  welcome,  young  sir,"  Sandy  said. 
"Many  a  time  I  have  seen  your  brave  father  riding  at  the 
head  of  his  regiment,  and  have  spoken  to  him  too,  for  he 
and  his  ofKcers  would  drop  in  here  and  crack  a  cup  together 
in  a  room  I  keep  upstairs  for  the  quality.  Well,  well,  and 
to  think  that  you  are  his  son!  But  what  Malcolm  said  is 
true,  and  it  were  best  that  none  knew  who  ye  are,  for  they 
have  an  unco  quick  way  here  of  putting  inconvenient  peo- 
ple out  of  the  way." 

"Have  you  ever  heard  aught  of  my  father  since?" 
Konald  asked  eagerly. 

"Not  a  word,"  Sandy  replied.  "I  have  heard  it  talked 
over  scores  of  times  by  men  who  were  in  the  regiment  that 
was  once  his,  and  none  doubted  that  if  he  were  still  alive 
he  was  lying  iu  the  Bastile,  or  Vincennes,  or  one  of  the 
other  cages  where  they  keep  those  whose  presence  the  king 
or  his  favorites  find  inconvenient.  It's  just  a  stroke  of 
the  gen,  without  question  or  trial,  andtliey  are  gone,  and  \ 
even  their  best  friends  darena  ask  a  question  concerning 
them.  In  most  cases  none  know  why  they  have  been  put 
away;  but  there  is  no  doubt  why  Leslie  was  seized.  Three 
or  four  of  his  fellow  officers  were  in  the  secret  of  his  mar- 
riage, and  when  he  had  disappeared  these  talked  loudly 
about  it,  and  there  was  sair  grief  and  anger  among  the 
Scottish  regiment  at  Leslie's  seizure.  But  what  was  to  be 
done?  it  was  just  the  king's  pleasure,  and  that  is  enough 
in  France.  Leslie  had  committed  the  grave  offense  of 
thwarting  the  wishes  of  two  of  the  king's  favorites,  great 
nobles,  too,  with  broad  lands  and  grand  connections. 
What  were  the  likings  of  a  Scottish  soldier  of  fortune  and 
a  headstrong  girl  in  comparison!  In  Scotland  in  the  old 
times  a  gallant  who  had  carried  o3  a  daughter  of  a  Douglas 


74  BONNIE  PRTNCE  CHARLIE. 

or  one  of  onr  powerful  nobles  would  have  made  his  wife  a 
widow  ere  many  weeks  were  over,  and  it  is  the  same  thing 
here  now.  It  wouldna  have  been  an  easy  thing  for  his 
enemies  to  kill  Leslie  with  his  regiment  at  his  back,  and 
so  they  got  an  order  from  the  king,  and  as  surely  got  rid 
of  him  as  if  they  had  taken  his  life." 

"You  have  never  heard  whether  my  mother  has  married 
again?"  Eonald  asked. 

"I  have  never  heard  her  name  mentioned.  Her  father 
is  still  at  court,  but  his  daughter  has  never  been  seen  since, 
or  I  should  have  heard  of  it;  but  more  than  that  I  cannot 
say." 

"  That  gives  me  hopes  that  my  father  is  still  alive," 
Ronald  said.  "Had  he  been  dead  they  might  have  forced 
lier  into  some  other  marriage." 

"They  might  so;  but  she  was  plainly  a  lassie  who  had  a 
will  of  her  own  and  may  have  held  out." 

"But  why  did  they  not  kill  him  instead  of  putting  him 
in  prison  if  he  was  in  their  way?" 

"They  might,  as  I  said,  have  done  it  at  once;  but  onco 
in  prison  he  was  beyond  their  reach.  The  king  may  grant 
a  lettre  de  cachet,  as  these  orders  are  called,  to  a  favorite; 
but  even  in  France  men  are  not  put  to  death  without  some 
sort  of  a  trial,  and  even  Chateaurouge  and  De  Eecambours 
could  not  ask  Louis  to  have  a  man  murdered  in  prison  to 
gratify  their  private  spite,  especially  when  that  man  was  a 
brave  Scottish  officer  whose  fate  had  already  excited  much 
discontent  among  his  compatriots  in  the  king's  service. 
Then  again  much  would  depend  upon  who  was  the  governor 
of  the  pcison.  These  men  differ  like  others.  Some  of 
them  are  honorable  gentlemen,  to  whom  even  Louis  him- 
self would  not  venture  to  hint  that  he  wanted  a  prisoner 
put  out  of  the  way;  but  there  are  others  who,  to  gratify  a 
powerful  nobleman,  would  think  nothing  of  telling  a  Jailer 
to  forget  for  a  fortnight  to  give  food  to  a  prisoner.     So 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CEARLIB.  75 

yon  see  we  cannot  jndge  from  this.  And  now  what  are 
you  thinking  of  doing,  Malcolm,  and  why  are  yon  over 
here?" 

"In  the  first  place  we  are  over  here  because  young  Leslie 
took  after  his  father  and  aided  a  Jacobite,  whom  George's 
men  were  in  search  of,  to  escape,  and  drew  his  sword  on  a 
worshipful  justice  of  Glasgow  and  the  city  watch." 

"He  has  begun  early,"  Sandy  said,  laughing;  "and  how 
did  he  get  away?" 

"They  brought  him  down  a  prisoner  to  London,  to  in- 
terrogate him  as  to  the  plot.  I  had  a  boat  in  the  Thames 
and  he  jumped  over  and  swam  for  it;  so  here  we  are. 
There  are  rumors  in  Scotland  that  King  Louis  is  helping 
Prince  Charlie,  and  that  an  army  is  soon  going  to  sail  for 
Scotland." 

"It  is  talked  of  here,  but  so  far  nothing  is  settled;  but 
as  King  George  is  interfering  in  Louis'  affairs,  and  is 
fighting  him  in  Germany,  I  think  it  more  than  likely  that 
King  Louis  is  going  to  stir  up  a  coil  in  Scotland  to  give 
George  something  to  do  at  home." 

"Then  if  there's  nothing  to  be  done  here  I  shall  find 
cut  the  old  regiment.  There  will  be  many  officers  in  it 
sfcill  who  have  fought  under  Leslie,  and  some  of  them  may 
know  more  about  him  than  you  do,  and  will  surely  be  able 
to  tell  me  what  has  become  of  the  lad's  mither." 

"That  may  well  be  so;  but  keep  a  quiet  tongue,  Mal- 
colm, as  to  Leslie's  son,  save  to  those  on  whose  discretion 
you  can  rely.  I  tell  you,  if  it  were  known  that  he  is  alive 
and  in  France  his  life  would  not  be  worth  a  week's  pur- 
chase. They  would  not  take  the  trouble  to  get  a  leitre  de 
cachet  for  him  as  they  did  for  his  father;  it  would  be  just 
a  pistol  bullet  or  a  stab  on  a  dark  night  or  in  a  lonely  place. 
There  would  be  no  question  asked  about  the  fate  of  an 
unknown  Scotch  laddie." 

"I  will  be  careful,  Sandy,  and  silent.  The  first  thing 
is  to  find  out  where  the  old  regiment  is  lying." 


•^Q  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"That  I  can  tell  you  at  once.  It  is  on  the  frontier  with 
the  Dnc  de  Noailles,  and  they  say  that  there  is  like  to  be 
a  great  battle  with  English  George  and  his  array." 

"  Well,  as  we  have  nothing  else  to  do  we  will  set  out 
and  find  them,"  Malcolm  said;  "but  as  time  is  not  press- 
ing we  will  stop  a  few  days  here  in  Paris  and  I  will  show 
the  lad  the  sights.     I  suppose  yon  can  put  us  up." 

"That  can  I.  Times  are  dull  at  present.  After '15 
Paris  swarmed  with  Scotsmen  who  had  fled  to  save  their 
heads;  but  of  late  years  but  few  have  come  over,  and  the 
Scotch  regiments  have  difficulty  in  keeping  up  their  num- 
bers. Since  the  last  of  them  marched  for  the  frontier  I 
have  been  looking  after  empty  benches,  and  it  will  be  good 
news  for  me  when  I  hear  that  the  war  is  over  and  they  are 
on  their  way  back." 

For  some  days  Malcolm  and  Ronald  wandered  about  the 
narrow  streets  of  Paris.  Eonald  was  somewhat  disap- 
pointed in  the  city  of  which  he  had  heard  so  much.  The 
streets  were  ill-paved  and  worse  lighted,  and  were  narrow 
and  winding.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  Louvre  there 
were  signs  of  wealth  and  opulence.  The  rich  dresses  of 
the  nobles  contrasted  strongly  indeed  with  the  somber 
attire  of  the  Glasgow  citizens,  and  the  appearance  and 
uniform  of  the  royal  guards  filled  him  with  admiration; 
hut  beyond  the  fashionable  quarter  it  did  not  appear  to 
him  that  Paris  possessed  many  advantages  over  Gasgow, 
and  the  poorer  class  were  squalid  and  poverty-stricken  to  a 
far  greater  degree  than  anything  he  had  seen  in  Scotland. 
But  the  chief  points  of  attraction  to  him  were  the  prisons. 
The  Bastile,  the  Chatelet,  and  the  Temple  were  points  to 
"which  he  was  continually  turning;  the  two  former  espe- 
cially, since,  if  he  were  in  Paris,  it  was  in  one  of  these 
that  his  father  was  most  probably  lying. 

The  various  plans  he  had  so  often  thought  over,  by 
which,  in  some  way  or  other,  he  might  communicate  with 


BONNIE  PRINOE  CHARLIE.  77 

his  father  and  aid  his  escape,  were  roughly  shattered  at 
the  sight  of  these  buildiugs.  He  had  reckoned  on  their 
resembling  in  some  respect  the  prison  in  Glasgow,  and  at 
the  sight  of  these  formidable  fortresses  with  their  lofty 
walls  and  flanking  towers,  their  moats  and  vigilant  sen- 
tries, his  hopes  fell  to  zero.  It  would,  he  saw  at  once,  be 
absolutely  impossible  to  open  communication  with  a  pris- 
oner of  whose  whereabouts  he  was  wholly  ignorant  and  of 
whose  very  existence  he  was  doubtful.  The  narrow  slits 
which  lighted  the  cell  in  which  he  was  confined  might 
look  into  an  inner  court,  or  the  cell  itself  might  be  below 
the  surface  of  the  soil.  The  legend  of  the  troubadour 
who  discovered  King  Eichard  of  England's  place  of  cap- 
tivity by  singing  without  the  walls  had  always  been  present 
in  his  mind,  but  no  such  plan  would  be  practicable  here. 
He  knew  no  song  which  his  father,  and  his  father  only, 
would  recognize;  and  even  did  he  know  such  a  song,  the 
appearance  of  any  one  loitering  in  the  open  space  outside 
the  moat  round  the  Bastile  singing  at  intervals  at  different 
points  would  have  instantly  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
sentries  on  the  walls.  Nor,  even  did  he  discover  that  his 
father  was  lying  a  prisoner  in  one  of  the  cells  facing  out- 
ward in  the  fortress,  did  he  see  any  possibility  of  compass- 
ing his  escape.  The  slits  were  wide  enough  only  for  the 
passage  of  a  ray  of  light  or  the  flight  of  an  arrow.  No 
human  being  could  squeeze  himself  through  them,  and 
even  if  he  could  do  so  he  would  need  a  long  rope  to  descend 
into  the  moat. 

One  day  Ronald  talked  over  his  ideas  with  Malcolm,  who 
declared  at  once  that  they  were  impossible  of  execution. 

"There  is  scarcely  a  case  on  record,"  he  said,  "of  an 
escape  from  either  the  Bastile  or  the  Chatelet,-and  yet 
there  have  been  scores  of  prisoners  confined  in  them  with 
friends  of  great  influence  and  abundant  means.  If  these 
have  been  unable,  by  bribing  jailers  or  by  other  strategy, 


78  BONWIE  PEmCE  CHARLIE. 

to  free  their  friends,  how  conld  a  stranger,  without  either 
connection,  influence,  or  weiilth,  hope  to  effect  the  escape 
of  a  captive  were  he  certain  that  he  was  within  the  walls. 
Do  not  waste  your  thought  on  such  fancies,  Eonald.  If 
your  father  is  still  in  prison  it  is  by  influence  only,  and 
influence  exerted  upon  the  king  and  exceeding  that  of  your 
father's  enemies,  that  his  release  can  be  obtained. 

"Such  influence  there  is  no  possibility  of  our  exerting. 
Your  father's  comrades  and  countrymen,  his  position  and 
services,  availed  nothing  when  ho  was  first  imprisoned; 
and  in  the  time  which  has  elapsed  the  number  of  those 
who  know  him  and  would  venture  to  risk  the  king's  dis- 
pleasure by  pleading  his  cause  must  have  lessened  consid- 
erably. The  only  possibility,  mind  I  say  possibility,  for 
in  my  belief  there  is  not  a  shadow  of  probability,  of  success 
lies  in  your  mother. 

"So  far  it  is  clear  that  she  has  been  powerless;  but  we 
know  not  under  what  circumstances  she  has  been  placed. 
She  may  all  this  time  have  been  shut  up  a  prisoner  in  a 
convent;  she  may  be  dead;  but  it  is  possible  that,  if  she  is 
free,  she  may  have  powerful  connections  on  her  mother's 
side,  who  might  be  induced  to  take  up  her  cause  and  to 
plead  with  the  king  for  your  father's  liberty.  She  may 
have  been  told  that  your  father  is  dead.  She  is,  no 
doubt,  in  ignorance  of  what  has  become  of  you,  or  whether 
you  are  still  alive.  If  she  believes  you  are  both  dead  she 
would  have  had  no  motive  for  exerting  any  family  influ- 
ence she  may  have,  and  may  be  living  a  broken-hearted 
woman,  firm  only  in  the  resolution  to  accept  no  other 
husband." 

"Yes,  that  is  possible,"  Eonald  agreed.  "At  any  rate, 
Malcolm,  let  ns  lose  no  further  time,  but  set  out  to-morroi7 
for  the  frontier  and  try  to  find  out  from  my  father's  old 
comrades  what  has  become  of  my  mother," 


BOJ!iNlE  PEIjSOE  CHAltLIE,  79 


CHAPTER  V. 

DETTINGEN. 

After  walking  two  or  three  miles  Malcolm  and  Ronald 
came  upon  the  rear  of  a  train  of  wagons  which  had  set  out 
from  Paris  an  hour  earlier.  Entering  into  conversation 
with  one  of  the  drivers  they  found  that  the  convoy  was 
bound  for  the  frontier  with  ammunition  and  supplies  for 

the  army. 

"This  is  fortunate,"  Malcolm  said;  "for  to  tell  you  the 
truth,  Ronald,  I  have  looked  forward  to  our  meeting  with 
a  good  many  difficulties  by  the  way.  We  have  no  passes 
or  permits  to  travel,  and  should  be  suspected  of  being 
either  deserters  or  thieves.  We  came  down  from  the  north 
easy  enough;  but  there  they  are  more  accustomed  to  the 
passage  of  travelers  to  or  .from  the  coast.  Going  east  our 
appearance  if  alone  would  be  sure  to  incite  comment  and 
suspicion.  It  is  hard  if  among  the  soldiers  with  the  con- 
voy I  do  not  know  some  one  who  has  friends  in  the  old 
regiment.  At  any  rate  we  can  offer  to  make  ourselves 
useful  in  case  of  any  of  the  drivers  falling  ill  or  deserting 
by  the  way." 

As  they  walked  along  toward  the  head  of  the  long  line 
of  wagons  Malcolm  closely  scrutinized  the  troopers  who 
formed  the  escort,  but  most  of  them  were  young  soldiers, 
and  ho  therefore  went  on  without  accosting  them  until  he 
reached  the  head  of  the  column.     Here  two  officers  were 


80  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

riding  together,  a  captain  and  a  young  lieutenant.  Mal- 
colm sainted  the  former. 

"I  am  an  old  soldier  of  the  2d  Regiment  of  Scottish 
Cavalry,  and  am  going  with  my  young  friend  here,  who 
has  relations  in  the  regiment,  to  join  them.  "Will  you 
permit  us,  sir,  to  journey  with  j'our  convoy?  "We  are 
ready,  if  needs  be,  to  make  ourselves  useful  in  case  any  of 
your  drivers  are  missing,  no  uncommon  thing,  as  I  know, 
on  a  long  journey." 

The  officer  asked  a  few  questions  about  his  services,  and 
said: 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  since  you  left,  as  you  say, 
fourteen  years  ago?" 

"I  have  been  in  Scotland,  sir.  I  took  this  lad,  who  was 
then  an  infant,  home  to  my  people,  having  had  enough  of 
soldiering,  while  my  brother,  his  father,  remained  with 
the  regiment.  We  do  not  know  whether  he  is  alive  or 
dead,  but  if  the  former  the  lad  wants  to  join  as  a  trum- 
peter, and  when  old  enough  to  fight  in  the  ranks." 

"Very  well,"  the  officer  said.  "You  can  march  along 
with  us,  and  if  any  of  these  fellows  desert  you  shall  take 
their  places,  and  of  course  draw  their  pay." 

It  was  a  short  time  indeed  before  Malcolm's  services 
were  called  into  requisition,  for  the  very  first  night  several 
of  the  drivers,  who  had  been  pressed  into  the  service, 
managed  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  guard  and  slipped 
away. 

The  next  morning  Malcolm,  with  Eonald  as  his  assist- 
ant, took  charge  of  one  of  the  heavy  wagons,  loaded  with 
ammunition,  and  drawn  by  twelve  horses. 

"This  is  better  than  walking  after  all,  Eonald.  In  the 
first  place  it  saves  the  legs,  and  in  the  second  one  is  partly 
out  of  the  dust." 

"  But  I  think  we  should  get  on  faster  walking,  Malcolm." 

"  Yes,  if  we  had  no  stoppages.     But  then,  you  see  as  we 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE,  81 

have  no  papers  we  might  be  detained  for  weeks  by  some 
pig-headed  official  in  a  little  country  town ;  besides,  we  are 
sure  to  push  on  as  fast  as  we  can,  for  they  will  want  the 
ammunition  before  a  battle  is  fought.  And  after  all  a  few 
days  won't  make  much  difference  to  us;  the  weather  is 
fine,  and  the  journey  will  not  be  unpleasant." 

In  fact  Konald  enjoyed  the  next  three  weeks  greatly  aa 
the  train  of  wagons  made  its  way  across  the  plains  of 
Champagne,  and  then  on  through  the  -valleys  of  Lorraine 
and  Alsace  until  it  reached  Strasbourg.  Malcolm  had 
speedily  made  friends  with  some  of  the  soldiers  of  the  es- 
cort, and  of  an  evening  when  the  day's  work  was  over  he 
and  Ronald  sat  with  them  by  the  fires  they  made  by  the 
roadside,  and  Malcolm  told  tales  of  the  campaigns  in  which 
he  had  been  engaged,  and  the  soldiers  sang  songs  or  chatted 
over  the  probabilities  of  the  events  of  the  war.  None  of 
them  had  served  before,  having  been  but  a  few  months 
taken  from  their  homes  m  various  parts  of  France.  But 
although,  doubtless,  many  had  at  first  regretted  bitterly 
being  dragged  away  to  the  wars,  they  were  now  all  recon- 
ciled to  their  lot,  and  looked  forward  eagerly  to  joining 
their  regiment,  which  was  at  the  front,  when  the  duty  of 
looking  after  the  convoy  would  be  at  an  end. 

Little  was  known  in  Paris  as  to  the  position  of  the  con- 
tending armies  beyond  the  fact  that  Lord  8tair,  who  com- 
manded the  English  army,  sixteen  thousand  strong,  which 
had  for  the  last  year  been  lying  inactive  in  Flanders,  had 
marched  down  with  his  Hanoverian  allies  toward  the 
Maine,  and  that  the  Duo  de  Noailles  with  sixty  thousand 
men  was  lying  beyond  the  Rhine.  But  at  Strasbourg  they 
learned  that  the  French  army  had  marched  north  to  give 
battle  to  Lord  Stair,  who  had  at  present  with  him  but 
twenty-eight  thousand  men,  and  was  -waiting  to  be  joined 
by  twelve  thousand  Hanoverians  and  Hessians  who  were 
on  their  way. 


83  BONNIE  PllTNGE  CHARLIE. 

The  convoy  continued  its  journey,  pushing  forward  with 
di  speed,  and  on  the  26th  of  July  joined  the  army  of  De 
Noaiiles.  The  French  were  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
but  having  arrived  on  its  banks  before  the  English  they 
had  possession  of  the  bridges.  As  soon  as  the  wagons  had 
joined  the  army  Malcolm  obtained  from  the  officer  com- 
inanding  the  escort  a  discharge,  sayiug  that  he  and  Eonald 
had  fulfilled  their  engagement  as  drivers  with  the  wagons 
to  the  front,  and  were  now  at  liberty  to  return  to  France. 

"Now  we  are  our  own  masters  again,  Ronald,"  Malcolm 
said.  "I  have  taken  part  in  a  good  many  battles,  but  have 
never  yet  had  the  opportunity  of  looking  on  at  one  comfort- 
ably. De  Noailles  should  lose  no  time  in  attacking,  so  as 
to  destroy  the  English  before  they  receive  their  reinforce- 
ments. As  he  holds  the  bridges  he  can  bring  on  the  battle 
when  he  likes,  and  I  think  that  to-morrow  or  next  day  the 
fight  will  take  place." 

It  was  known  in  the  camp  that  evening  that  the  English 
had  established  their  chief  magazines  at  Hanau,  and  were 
marching  up  the  river  toward  Aschafifeuburg.  In  the 
early  morning  a  portion  of  the  French  troops  crossed  the 
river  at  that  town,  and  took  up  a  strong  position  there. 
Eonald  and  Malcolm  climbed  a  hill  looking  down  upon 
the  river  from  the  south  side,  and  thence  commanded  the 
view  of  the  ground  across  Avhich  the  English  were  march- 
ing. On  the  eastern  side  of  the  river  spurs  of  the  Spessart 
Mountains  came  down  close  to  its  bank,  inclosing  a  narrow 
flat  between  AschafPenburg  and  Dettiugen.  At  the  latter 
place  the  heights  approached  so  closely  to  the  river  as  to 
render  it  difficult  for  an  army  to  pass  between  them. 
YvHiile  posting  a  strong  force  at  AschaHenburg  to  hold  the 
passage  across  a  stream  running  into  the  Maine  there,  De 
Noailles  marched  his  main  force  down  the  river;  these 
movements  were  hidden  by  the  nature  of  the  ground  from 
the  English,  who  were  advancing  unconscious  of  their 
dangor  toward  Dettingen. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  83 

"De  Noailles  will  have  them  in  a  trap,"  Malcolm  said. 
for  from  their  position  on  the  hill  they  could  see  the  whole 
ground  on  the  further  bank,  Hanau  lying  some  seven  miles 
beyond  Dettingeu,  which  was  itself  less  than  seven  miles 
from  AschaSenburg. 

"I  am  afraid  so,"  Eouald  said. 

"Afraid!"  Malcolm*  repeated.  "Why,  yon  should  re- 
joice, Eonald." 

"I  can't  do  that,"  Ronald  replied.  "I  should  like  to 
see  the  Stuarts  instead  of  the  Hanoverians  reigning  over 
us;  but  after  all,  Malcolm,  England  and  Scotland  are  one 
nation." 

"  But  there  are  Scotch  regiments  with  the  French  army, 
and  a  brigade  of  Irish." 

"That  may  be,"  Eonald  said.  "Scotchmen  who  have 
got  into  political  trouble  at  home  may  enter  the  service  of 
France,  and  may  fight  heartily  against  the  Germans  or  the 
Flemings,  or  other  enemies  of  France;  but  I  know  that  I 
should  feel  very  reluctant  to  fight  against  the  English 
army,  except,  of  course,  at  home  for  tlie  Stuarts." 

"It  will  benefit  the  Stuarts'  cause  if  the  English  are 
defeated  here,"  Malcolm  said. 

"That  may  be  or  it  may  not,"  Ronald  replied.  "You 
yourself  told  me  that  Louis  cared  nothing  for  the  Stuarts, 
and  would  only  aid  them  in  order  to  cripple  the  English 
strength  at  home.  Therefore,  if  he  destroys  the  English 
army  here  he  will  have  less  cause  to  fear  England  and  so 
less  motive  for  helping  the  chevalier." 

"  That  is  true  enough,"  Malcolm  agreed.  "  You  are  fast 
becoming  a  politician,  Eonald.  Well,  I  will  look  on  as  a 
neutral  then,  because,  although  the  English  are  certainly 
more  nearly  my  countrymen  than  are  the  French,  you 
must  remember  that  for  twelve  years  I  fought  under  the 
French  flag.  However,  there  can  be  no  doubt  what  is 
going  to  take  place.     See,  the  dark  mass  of  the  English 


84  BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE. 

army  are  passiug  through  the  defile  of  Dettingen,  and  the 
French  have  began  to  cross  at  Seligenstadt  in  their  rear. 
See,  they  are  throwing  three  or  four  bridges  across  the 
river  there." 

In  utter  ignorance  of  their  danger  the  English  marched 
on  along  the  narrow  plain  by  the  river  bank  toward 
Aschaffenburg. 

"Look  at  their  cavalry  scouting  ahead  of  them,"  MaL 
colm  said.  «  There,  the  French  are  opening  fire!"  And 
as  he  spoke  puffs  of  musketry  rose  up  from  the  line  of  the 
stream  held  by  the  French. 

The  English  cavalry  galloped  back,  but  the  columns  of 
infantry  still  advanced  until  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
French  position,  and  were  there  halted,  while  some  guns 
from  the  French  lines  opened  fire.  The  bridges  at  Selig- 
enstadt  were  now  completed,  and  masses  of  troops  could 
be  seen  pouring  over.  King  George  and  the  Duke  of 
Cnmberland  had  joined  the  Earl  of  Stair  just  as  the  army 
passed  through  Dettingen,  and  were  riding  at  the  head  of 
the  column  when  the  French  fire  opened.  A  short  time 
was  spent  in  reconnoitering  the  position  of  the  enemy  in 
front.  The  English  believed  that  the  entire  French  army 
was  there  opposed  to  them,  and  that  the  advance  of  the 
army  into  Franconia,  which  was  its  main  objective,  was 
therefore  barred.  After  a  short  consultation  it  was  re- 
solved to  fall  back  at  once  upon  the  magazines  at  Hanau, 
which,  from  their  ignorance  of  the  near  proximity  of  the 
French,  had  been  left  bnt  weakly  guarded.  Believing 
that  as  they  fell  back  they  would  be  hotly  pursued  by  the 
French  army,  the  king  took  the  command  of  the  rear  as 
the  post  of  danger,  and  the  columns,  facing  about,  marched 
toward  Dettingen. 

But  the  French  had  been  beforehand  with  them.  De 
Noailles  had  sent  23,000  men  under  his  nephew  the  Duke 
do  Grammont  across  the  river  to  occupy  Dettingen.     Ho 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  85 

himself  with  his  main  army  remained  on  the  south  side, 
with  his  artillery  placed  so  as  to  lire  across  the  river  upon 
the  flank  of  the  English  as  they  approached  Dettingen; 
while  he  could  march  up  and  cross  at  AschafEenburg  should 
the  English,  after  being  beaten  back  at  Dettingen,  try  to 
retreat  up  the  river. 

De  Grammont's  position  was  a  very  strong  one  behind  a 
swamp  and  a  deep  ravine  hollowed  out  by  a  stream  from 
the  hill.  There  seemed  no  possibility  of  escape  for  the 
English  army,  who  were  as  yet  absolutely  in  ignorance  of 
the  position  of  the  French.  As  the  head  of  the  column 
approached  Dettingen,  Grammont's  artillery  opened  upon 
them  in  front,  while  that  of  De  Noailles  smote  them  in 
flank.  As  soon  as  the  king  found  that  his  retreat  was  cut 
ofl!  he  galloped  from  the  rear  of  the  column  to  its  head. 
His  horse,  alarmed  by  the  fire  of  the  artillery  and  whistling 
of  balls,  ran  away  with  him,  and  was  with  ditticulty  stop- 
ped just  as  he  reached  the  head  of  the  column.  He  at 
once  dismounted  and  announced  his  intention  of  leading 
his  troops  on  foot. 

There  was  a  hasty  council  held  between  him.  Lord  Stair, 
and  the  Duke  of  Cumberland,  and  it  was  agreed  that  the 
only  escape  from  entire  destruction  was  by  fighting  their 
way  through  the  force  now  in  front  of  them.  This  would 
indeed  have  been  impossible  had  De  Grammont  held  his 
position;  but  when  that  officer  saw  the  English  troops 
halt  he  believed  that  he  had  only  the  advanced  guard  in 
front  of  him,  and  resolving  to  overwhelm  these  before 
their  main  body  arrived,  he  abandoned  his  strong  position, 
led  his  troops  across  the  swamp,  and  charged  the  English 
in  front. 

De  Noailles,  from  the  opposite  bank  seeing  the  error  his 
nephew  had  made,  hurried  his  troops  toward  the  bridges 
in  order  to  cross  the  river  and  render  him  assistance;  but 
it  was  too  late. 


gg  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

The  English  infantry,  headed  by  the  king  in  person, 
hurled  themselves  upon  the  troops  of  De  Grammout. 

Every  man  felt  that  the  only  hope  of  escape  from  this 
trap  into  which  tliey  had  fallen  lay  in  cutting  their  way 
through  the  enemy,  and  so  furiously  did  they  fight  that 
De  Grammont's  troops  were  utterly  overthrown,  and  were 
soon  in  full  flight  toward  the  bridges  in  the  rear,  hotly 
pursued  by  the  English.  Before  they  could  reach  the 
bridges  they  left  behind  them  on  the  field  six  thousand 
killed  and  wounded.  King  George,  satisfied  with  his  suc- 
cess and  knowing  that  the  French  army  was  still  greatly 
superior  to  his  own,  wisely  determined  to  get  out  of  his 
dangerous  position  as  soon  as  possible,  and  pushed  on  that 
night  to  Hanau. 

Although  Malcolm  and  Ronald  were  too  far  off  to  wit- 
ness the  incidents  of  the  battle,  they  made  out  the  tide  of 
war  rolling  away  from  thorn,  and  saw  the  black  masses  of 
troops  pressing  on  through  Dettingen  in  spite  of  the 
French  artillery  which  thundered  from  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  river. 

"They  have  won!"  Eonald  said,  throwing  up  his  cap. 
"Hurrah,  Malcolm!  where  is  the  utter  destruction  of  the 
English  now?  See,  the  plain  beyond  Dettingen  is  covered 
by  a  confused  mass  of  fl.ving  men.  The  English  have 
broken  out  of  the  trap,  and  instead  of  being  crushed  have 
won  a  great  victory." 

"It  looks  like  it  certainly,"  Malcolm  said.  "I  would 
not  have  believed  it  if  I  had  not  seen  it;  their  destruction 
peemed  certain.  And  now  let  us  go  round  to  the  camp 
again." 

On  their  way  down  Malcolm  said: 

"1  think,  on  the  whole,  Ronald,  that  you  are  perhaps 
right,  and  the  French  defeat  will  do  good  rather  than 
harm  to  the  Stuart  cause.  Had  they  conquered,  Louis 
would  have  been  too  intent  on  pushing  forward  bis  owa 


BONNIE  PRINVE  CHARLIE.  87 

Bclieraes  to  care  much  for  the  Stuarts.  He  has  no  real  in- 
terest in  them,  aud  only  uses  them  as  cat's-paws  to  injure 
England.  If  he  had  beaten  the  English  and  Hanoverians 
he  would  not  have  needed  their  aid.  As  it  is,  it  seems 
likely  enough  that  he  will  try  to  create  a  diversion,  and 
keep  the  English  busy  at  home  by  aiding  the  Stuarts  with 
men  and  money  to  make  a  landing  in  Scotland." 

"In  that  case,  Malcolm,  we  need  not  grieve  over  the 
defeat  to-day.  You  know  my  sympathies  are  with  the 
brave  Empress  of  Austria  rather  than  with  her  enemies, 
and  this  defeat  should  go  far  toward  seating  her  securely 
on  the  throne.  Now,  what  will  you  do,  Malcolm?  Shall 
we  try  and  j3nd  my  father's  friends  at  once?" 

"Not  for  another  few  days,"  Malcolm  said.  "Just  after 
a  defeat  men  are  not  in  the  best  mood  to  discuss  bygone 
matters.     Let  us  wait  and  see  what  is  done  next." 

The  next  morning  a  portion  of  the  French  array  which 
had  not  been  engaged  crossed  the  river  and  collected  the 
French  and  English  wounded,  for  the  latter  had  also  been 
left  behind.  They  were  treated  by  the  French  with  the 
same  care  and  kindness  that  was  bestowed  upon  their  own 
wounded.  De  Noailles  was  about  to  advance  against  the 
English  at  Hanau,  when  he  received  the  news  that  the 
French  army  in  Bavaria  had  been  beaten  back  by  Prince 
Charles,  and  had  crossed  the  Ehine  into  Alsace.  As  he 
v/ould  now  bo  exposed  to  the  whole  brunt  of  the  attack  of 
the  allies  he  decided  to  retreat  at  once. 

The  next  day  the  retreat  recommenced.  Many  of  the 
drivers  had  fled  at  the  first  news  of  tlie  defeat,  and  Mal- 
colm without  question  assumed  the  post  of  driver  of  one 
of  the  abandoned  teams.  For  another  week  the  army  re- 
tired, and  then  crossing  the  Kliine  near  Worms  were  safe 
from  pursuit. 

"Now,  Ronald,  I  will  look  up  the  old  regiment,  and  wo 
will  see  what  is  to  be  done." 


g8  BONNIE  PBINCE  CHARLIE, 

The  2d  Scotch  Dragoons  were  posted  in  a  little  village 
a  mile  distant  from  the  main  camp  which  had  now  been 
formed.  Malcolm  did  not  make  any  formal  transfer  of 
the  wagon  to  the  authorities,  thinking  it  by  no  means  im- 
probable that  they  would  insist  upon  his  continuing  his 
self-adopted  avocation  as  driver;  but  after  seeing  to  the 
horses,  which  were  picketed  with  a  long  line  of  transport 
animals,  he  and  Eonald  walked  quietly  away  without  any 
ceremony  of  adieu. 

"We  must  not  come  back  again  here,"  he  said,  "for 
some  of  the  teamsters  would  recognize  me  as  having  been 
driving  lately,  and  I  should  have  hard  work  to  prove  that 
I  was  not  a  deserter;  we  must  take  to  the  old  regiment  now 
as  long  as  we  are  here." 

On  reaching  the  village  they  found  the  street  full  of 
troopers  who  were  busily  engaged  in  cleaning  th<:ir  arms, 
grooming  their  horses,  and  removing  all  signs  of  weather 
and  battle.  Eonald  felt  a  thrill  of  pleasure  at  hearing  his 
native  language  spoken.  He  had  now  so  far  improved  the 
knowledge  of  French  as  to  be  able  to  converse  without 
difficulty,  for  Malcolm  had  from  his  childhood  tried  to 
keep  up  his  French,  and  had  lately  always  spoken  in  that 
language  to  him,  unless  it  was  necessary  to  speak  in  Eng- 
lish in  order  to  make  him  understand. 

These  occasions  had  become  more  and  more  rare,  and 
two  months  of  constant  conversation  with  Malcolm  and 
others  had  enabled  Ronald  by  this  time  to  speak  with  some 
fluency  in  the  French  tongue.  None  of  the  soldiers  paid 
any  attention  to  the  newcomers,  whose  dress  differed  in  no 
way  from  that  of  Frenchmen,  as  after  the  shipwreck  they 
had,  of  course,  been  obliged  to  rig  themselves  out  afresh. 
Malcolm  stopped  before  an  old  sergeant  who  was  diligently 
polishing  his  sword  hilt. 

"And  how  fares  it  with  you  all  these  years,  Angus 
Graeme?" 


BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE.  89 

The  sergeant  almost  dropped  his  sword  in  his  surprise 
at  being  so  addressed  in  his  own  tongue  by  one  whose 
appearance  betokened  him  a  Frenchman. 

"You  don't  know  me,  Angus,"  Malcolm  went  on  with 
a  smile;  "and  yet  you  ought  to,  for  if  it  hadn't  been  for 
me  the  sword  of  the  German  hussar  who  carved  that  ugly 
scar  across  your  cheek  would  have  followed  it  up  by  put- 
ting an  end  to  your  soldiering  altogether." 

"Heart  alive,  but  it's  Malcolm  Anderson!  Eh,  man, 
but  I  am  glad  to  see  you!  I  thought  you  were  dead  years 
ago,  for  I  have  heard  nae  mair  of  you  since  the  day  when 
you  disappeared  from  among  us  like  a  spook,  the  same  day 
that  puir  Colonel  Leslie  was  hauled  off  to  the  Bastile.  A 
sair  day  was  that  for  us  a' !  And  where  ha'  ye  been  all 
the  time?" 

"Back  at  home,  Angus,  at  least  in  body,  for  my  heart's 
been  with  the  old  regiment.  And  who,  think  you,  is 
this?  But  yon  must  keep  a  close  mouth,  man,  for  it  must 
not  be  talked  of.  This  is  Leslie's  son.  By  his  father's 
last  order  I  took  him  off  to  Scotland  with  me  to  be  out  of 
reach  of  his  foes,  and  now  I  have  brought  him  back  again 
to  try  if  between  us  we  can  gain  any  news  of  his  father." 

"  You  don't  say  so,  Malcolm  !  I  never  as  much  as  heard 
that  the  colonel  had  a  son,  though  there  was  some  talk  in 
the  regiment  that  he  had  married  a  great  lady,  and  that  it 
was  for  that  that  he  had  been  hid  away  in  prison.  And  this  is 
Leslie's  boy !  Only  to  think,  now !  Well,  young  sir,  there 
isn't  a  man  in  the  regiment  but  wad  do  his  best  for  your 
father's  son,  for  those  who  have  juined  us  since,  and  in 
truth  that's  the  great  part  of  us,  have  heard  many  a  tale 
of  Colonel  Leslie,  though  they  may  not  have  served  under 
him,  and  not  a  tale  but  was  to  his  honor,  for  a  braver 
officer  nor  a  kinder  one  never  stepped  the  earth.  But 
come  inside,  Malcolm.  I  have  got  a  room  to  myself  and  a 
stoup  of  good  wine;  let's  talk  over  things  fair  and  gentle, 


90  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

and  when  I  know  what  it  is  that  you  w  iiit  yon  may  he 
sure  that  I  will  do  all  I  can,  for  the  sake  baith  of  the  colo- 
nel and  of  yon,  anld  comrade." 

The  trio  were  soon  seated  in  the  cottage,  and  Malcolm 
then  gave  a  short  sketch  of  all  that  had  taken  place  since 
he  had  left  the  regiment. 

"Well,  well!"  the  sergeant  said  when  he  had  ended; 
"and  so  fhe  lad,  young  as  he  is,  has  already  drawn  his 
sword  for  the  Stuarts,  and  takes  after  his  father  in  loyalty 
as  well  as  in  looks,  for  now  that  1  know  who  he  is  I  can 
see  his  father's  face  in  his  plain  enough;  and  now  for  your 
plans,  Malcolm." 

"Our  plans  must  he  left  to  chance,  Angus.  We  came 
hither  to  see  whether  any  of  the  colonel's  friends  are  still 
in  the  regiment,  and  to  learn  from  them  whether  they 
have  any  news  whatever  of  him;  and  secondly,  whether 
they  can  tell  us  aught  of  his  mother." 

"Ay,  there  are  six  or  eight  officers  still  in  the  regiment 
who  served  with  him.  Hume  is  our  colonel  now;  you  will 
remember  him,  Malcolm,  well,  for  he  was  captain  of  our 
troop;  and  Major  Macpherson  was  a  captain  too.  Then 
there  are  Oliphant,  and  Munroe,  and  Campbell,  and  Gra- 
ham,, all  of  whom  were  young  lieutenants  in  your  time, 
and  are  now  old  captains  of  troops." 

"I  will  see  the  colonel  and  Macpherson,"  Malcolm  said; 
"if  they  do  not  know,  the  younger  men  are  not  likely  to. 
Will  you  go  along  with  us,  Angus,  and  introduce  me, 
though  Hume  is  like  enough  to  remember  me,  seeing  that 
I  was  so  much  with  Leslie?" 

"They  will  be  dining  in  half  an  hour,"  the  sergeant  said; 
"we'll  go  after  they  have  done  the  meal.  It's  always  a 
good  time  to  talk  with  men  when  they  are  full,  and  the 
colonel  will  have  no  business  to  disturb  him  then.  Our 
own  dinner  will  be  ready  directly;  I  can  smell  a  goose  that 
I  picked  up,  as  it  might  be  by  accident,  at  the  place  where 


BONNIE  PRINCE  GHARLIW.  91 

we  halted  last  night.  Thera  are  four  or  five  of  us  old  sol- 
diers who  always  mess  together  when  we  are  not  on  duty 
with  our  troops,  and  if  I  mistake  not,  you  will  know  every 
one  of  them,  and  right  glad  they  will  be  to  see  you;  but 
of  course  I  shall  say  no  word  as  to  who  the  lad  is,  save  that 
he  is  a  friend  of  yours." 

A  few  minutes  later  four  other  sergeants  dropped  in, 
and  there  was  a  joyful  greeting  between  them  and  Malcolm 
as  soon  as  they  recognized  his  identity.  The  meal  was  a 
jovial  one,  as  old  jokes  and  old  reminiscences  were  recalled. 
After  an  hour's  sitting  Angas  said: 

'*  Pass  round  the  wine,  lads,  till  we  come  back  again.  I 
am  taking  Anderson  to  the  colonel,  who  was  captain  of  his 
troop.  We  are  not  likely  to  be  long,  and  when  we  come 
back  we  will  make  a  night  of  it  in  honor  of  old  times,  or  I 
am  mistaken." 

On  leaving  the  cottage  they  waited  for  awhile  until  they 
saw  the  colonel  and  major  rise  from  beside  the  fire  round 
which,  with  the  other  officers,  they  had  been  taking  their 
meal,  and  walk  to  the  cottage  which  they  shared  between 
them.     Angus  went  up  and  saluted. 

"What  is  it,  Grsme?"  the  colonel  asked. 

"  There's  one  here  who  would  fain  have  a  talk  with  yon. 
It  is  Malcolm  Anderson,  whom  you  may  remember  as  puir 
Colonel  Leslie's  servant,  and  as  being  in  your  own  troop, 
and  he  has  brought  one  with  him  concerning  whom  he 
will  speak  to  you  himself." 

"Of  course  I  remember  Anderson,"  the  colonel  said. 
"  He  was  devoted  to  Leslie.  Bring  him  in  at  once.  What 
can  have  brought  him  out  here  again  after  so  many  years? 
been  getting  into  some  trouble  at  home,  I  suppose?  He 
was  always  in  some  scrape  or  other  when  he  was  in  the 
regiment,  for,  though  he  was  a  good  soldier,  he  was  as 
wild  and  reckless  a  blade  as  any  in  the  regiment.  You 
remember  him,  Macpherson?" 


92  EOIUIIil]  FRINGE  CHARLIE. 

"Yes,  I  reuierabsr  him  well,"  the  major  said.  "The 
colonel  was  Yery  foiid  oi  liim  and  regarded  him  almost  as 
a  brother." 

A  minute  later  Angus  ushered  Malcolm  and  Eonald 
into  the  presence  of  the  two  officers,  who  had  now  taken 
teats  in  the  room  which  served  as  kitchen  and  sitting-room 
to  the  cottage,  which  was  much  the  largest  in  the  village. 

"Well,  Anderson,  I  am  glad  to  see  you  again,"  Colouel 
Hume  said,  rising  and  holding  out  his  hand.  "We  have 
often  spoken  of  you  since  the  day  you  disappeared,  saying 
that  you  were  going  on  a  mission  for  the  colonel,  and  have 
wondered  what  the  mission  was,  and  how  it  was  that  we 
never  heard  of  you  again." 

"I  came  over  to  Paris  four  years  later,  colonel,  but  the 
regiment  was  av/ay  in  Flanders,  and  as  I  found  out  from 
others  what  I  had  come  to  learn,  there  was  no  use  in  my 
following  you.  As  to  the  colonel's  mission,  it  was  this;" 
and  he  pnt  his  hand  on  Eonald 's  shoulder. 

"What  do  you  mean,  Anderson?"  the  colonel  asked  in 
surprise. 

"This  is  Colonel  Leslie's  son,  sir.  He  bade  m,e  fetch 
him  straight  away  from  the  folk  with  whom  he  was  living 
and  take  him  off  to  Scotland  so  as  to  be  out  of  reach  of  his 
foes,  who  would  doubtless  have  made  even  shorter  work 
with  him  than  they  did  with  the  colonel." 

"Good  heavens!"  the  colonel  exclaimed;  "this  is  nev/s 
indeed.  So  poor  Leslie  left  a  child  and  this  is  he!  My 
lad,"  he  said,  taking  Ronald's  hand,  "believe  me  that  any- 
thing that  I  can  do  for  you,  whatever  it  be,  shall  be  done, 
for  the  sake  of  your  dear  father  whom  I  loved  as  an  elder 
brother." 

"And  I  too,"  the  major  said.  "There  was  not  one  of 
us  but  would  have  fought  to  the  death  for  Leslie.  And 
now  sit  down,  my  lad,  while  Anderson  tells  us  your  story." 

Malcolm    began   at   the   account   of   the   charge  which 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  93 

Colonel  Leslie  had  committed  to  him,  and  the  manner  in 
which  he  had  fulfilled  it.  He  told  them  how  he  had 
placed  the  child  in  the  care  of  his  brother,  he  himself 
having  no  fixed  home  of  his  own,  and  how  the  lad  had 
received  a  solid  education,  while  he  had  seen  to  his  learn- 
ing the  nse  of  his  sword  so  that  he  might  be  able  to  follow 
his  father's  career.  He  then  told  them  the  episode  of  the 
Jacobite  agent,  and  the  escape  which  had  been  effected  in 
the  Thames. 

"You  have  done  well,  Anderson,"  the  colonel  said  when 
he  had  concluded ;  "  and  if  ever  Leslie  should  come  to  see  his 
son  he  will  have  cause  to  thank  you,  indeed,  for  the  way 
in  which  you  have  carried  out  the  charge  he  committed  to 
you,  and  he  may  well  be  pleased  at  seeing  him  grov.'n  such 
a  manly  young  fellow.  As  to  Leslie  himself,  sve  know  not 
whether  he  be  alive  or  dead.  Evei'v  interest  was  made  at 
the  time  to  assuage  his  majesty's  hostility,  but  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Marquis  of  Eecanibours  v,'as  too  strong,  and 
the  king  at  last  peremptorily  forbade  Leslie's  name  being 
mentioned  before  him.  You  see,  although  the  girl's  father 
was,  of  course,  at  liberty  to  bestow  her  hand  on  whomso- 
ever he  pleased,  he  had,  with  the  toadyism  of  a  courtier, 
asked  the  king's  approval  of  the  match  with  Chateaurouge, 
which,  as  a  matter  of  course,  he  received.  His  majesty, 
therefore,  chose  to  consider  it  as  a  personal  offense  against 
himself  that  this  Scottish  soldier  of  fortune  should  carry  off 
one  of  the  richest  heiresses  of  France,  whose  hand  he  had 
himself  granted  to  one  of  his  peers.  At  the  same  time  I 
cannot  but  think  that  Leslie  still  lives,  for  had  he  been 
dead  we  should  assuredly  have  heard  of  the  marriage  of 
his  widow  with  some  one  else.  The  duke  has,  of  course, 
long  since  married,  and  report  says  that  the  pair  are  ill- 
matched;  but  another  husband  would  speedily  have  been 
found  for  the  vndow." 

"Since  the  duke  has  married,"  Ronald  said,  "he  should 


94  BONNIE  FRINGE  CHABLIE. 

no  longer  be  so  bitter  against  my  father,  and  perhaps  after 
so  long  an  imprisonment  the  king  might  be  moved  to 
grant  his  release." 

"As  the  dnke's  marriage  is  an  unhappy  one,  I  fear  that 
yon  cannot  connt  npon  his  hostility  to  your  father  being 
in  any  way  lessened,  as  he  wonld  all  the  more  regret  the 
interference  with  his  former  plans." 

"Have  yon  any  idea  where  my  mother  is,  sir?" 

"None,"  the  colonel  said.  "But  that  I  might  find  out 
for  yon.  I  will  give  you  a  letter  to  the  Connt  de  Noyes, 
■who  is  on  intimate  terms  with  the  Archbishop  of  Paris, 
who  would,  no  doubt,  be  able  to  tell  him  in  which  convent 
the  lady  is  residing.  Yon  must  not  be  too  sanguine,  my 
poor  boy,  of  seeing  her,  for  it  is  possible  that  she  has 
already  taken  the  veil.  Indeed,  if  your  father  has  died, 
and  she  has  still  refused  to  accept  any  suitor  wliom  the 
marquis  may  have  found  for  her,  you  may  be  sure  that 
she  has  been  compelled  to  take  the  veil,  as  her  estates 
would  then  revert  to  the  nearest  kinsman.  This  may,  for 
aught  we  know,  have  happened  years  ago,  without  a  word 
of  it  being  bruited  abroad,  and  the  affair  only  known  to 
those  most  concerned.  However,  we  must  look  at  the 
best  side.  We  shall  be  able,  doubtless,  to  learn  through 
the  archbishop  whether  she  is  still  merely  detained  in  the 
convent  or  has  taken  the  veil,  and  you  can  then  judge 
accordingly  whether  your  father  is  likely  to  be  alive  or 
dead.  But  as  to  your  obtaining  an  interview  with  your 
mother,  I  regard  it  as  impossible  in  the  one  case  as  the 
other. 

"  At  any  rate,  it  is  of  the  highest  importance  that  it 
should  not  be  known  that  you  are  in  France.  If  it  is 
proved  that  your  father  is  dead  and  your  mother  is  secluded 
for  life,  we  must  then  introduce  you  to  her  family,  and 
try  and  get  them  to  bring  all  their  influence  to  bear  to 
have  you  acknowledged  openly  as  the  legitimate  heir  of 


BOmOE  PBINOE  CHARLIE.  95 

the  marquis,  and  to  obtain  for  yon  the  succession  to  at 
least  a  portion  of  his  estates — say  to  that  of  those  ■which 
she  brought  him  as  her  dowry.  In  this  you  may  be  sure 
that  I  and  every  Scottish  gentleman  in  the  army  will  give 
you  all  the  aid  and  influcDce  we  can  bring  to  bear." 

Eonald  warmly  thanked  Colonel  Hume  for  his  kindness, 
and  the  next  day,  having  received  the  letter  to  the  Count 
de  Noyes,  set  out  for  Paris  with  Malcolm.  On  his  arrival 
there  he  lost  no  time  in  calling  upon  the  count,  and  pre- 
senting his  letter  of  introduction. 

The  count  read  it  through  twice  without  speaking. 

"My  friend  Colonel  Hume,"  he  said  at  last,  "tells  me 
that  you  are  the  son,  born  in  lawful  wedlock,  of  Colonel 
Leslie  and  Amelie  de  Eecambours.  I  am  aware  of  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  case,  being  distantly  related  to  the  lady's 
family,  and  will  do  that  which  Colonel  Hume  asks  me, 
namely,  discover  the  convent  in  which  she  is  living.  But 
I  warn  you,  young  man,  that  your  position  here  is  a  dan- 
gerous one,  and  that  were  it  known  that  Colonel  Leslie's 
son  is  alive  and  in  France,  I  consider  your  life  would  not 
be  worth  a  day's  purchase.  When  powerful  people  are 
interested  in  the  removal  of  any  one  not  favored  with 
powerful  protection  the  matter  is  easily  arranged.  There 
are  hundreds  of  knives  in  Paris  whose  use  can  be  purchased 
for  a  few  crowns,  or  if  seclusion  be  deemed  better  than 
removal,  a  king's  favorite  can  always  obtain  a  lettre-de- 
cacliet^  and  a  man  may  linger  a  lifetime  in  prison  without 
a  soul  outside  the  walls  knowing  of  his  existence  there. 

"You  are  an  obstacle  to  tlie  plans  of  a  great  noble,  and 
that  is  in  France  a  fatal  ofEense.  Your  wisest  course, 
young  man,  would  be  to  efface  yourself,  to  get  your  friend 
Colonel  Hume  to  obtain  for  you  a  commission  in  his  regi- 
ment, and  to  forget  forever  that  you  are  the  son  of  Colonel 
Leslie  and  Amelie  de  Eecambours.  However,  in  that  you 
will  doubtless  choose  for  yourself}  but  believe  me  my  ad- 


93  BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE. 

vice  is  good.  At  any  rate  I  will  do  what  my  friend  Colonel 
Hume  asks  me,  and  will  obtain  for  you  the  name  of  the 
convent  where  your  mother  is  living.  I  do  not  see  that 
you  will  be  any  the  better  oif  when  you  have  it,  for  assured- 
ly you  will  not  be  able  to  obtain  permission  to  see  her. 
However,  that  again  is  your  aSair.  If  you  will  give  me 
the  address  where  you  are  staying  in  Paris  I  will  write  to 
you  as  soon  as  I  obtain  the  information.  Do  not  be  impa- 
tient, the  archbishop  him.self  may  be  in  ignorance  on  the 
point;  but  I  doubt  not,  that  to  oblige  me,  he  will  obtain 
the  information  from  the  right  quarter." 
^  A  week  later,  Eonald,  on  retniuing  one  day  to  Le  Soldat 
Ecossais,  found  a  note  awaiting  him.  It  contained  only 
the  words: 

"She  has  not  taken  the  veil;  she  is  at  the  convent  of 
Our  Lady  at  Tours." 

The  ner^t  morriing  Ronald  and  Malcolm  set  Olit  on  their 
Journey  to  Toura. 


BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE.  97 


CHAPTER  Vr. 

THE   CONVENT   OF   OUR   LADT. 

Aerived  at  Tours,  Malcolm  took  a  quiet  lodging  in^ 
retired  street.  Colouel  Hume  had  furnished  him  with  a 
regular  discharge,  testifying  that  the  bearer,  Malcolm 
Anderson,  had  served  his  time  in  the  3d  Scotch  Dragoons, 
and  was  now  discharged  as  being  past  service,  and  that  he 
recommended  him  as  a  steady  man  for  any  employment 
for  which  he  might  be  suited.  Malcolm  showed  this  doc- 
ument to  his  landlord  in  order  that  the  latter  might,  a3 
required  by  law,  duly  give  notice  to -the  police  of  the  name 
and  occupation  of  his  lodger,  and  at  the  same  time  men- 
tioned that  the  relations  of  his  wife  lived  near  Tours,  and 
that  he  hoped  through  them  to  be  able  to  obtain  some  sort 
of  employment. 

As  soon  as  they  were  settled  in  their  lodgings  they  went 
out,  and  after  a  few  inquiries  found  themselves  in  front  of 
the  convent  of  Our  Lady.  It  was  a  massive  building,  in  a 
narrow  street  near  the  river,  to  which  its  grounds,  sur- 
rounded by  a  high  wall,  extended.  None  of  tlie  windows 
of  the  building  looked  toward  the  street,  upon  which  the 
massive  gate,  with  a  small  wicket  entrance,  opened. 

"What  building  is  this?"  Malcolm,  in  a  careless  tone, 
asked  a  woman  who  was  sitting  knitting  at  her  door  nearly 
opposite  the  entrance.     "I  am  a  stranger  in  Tours." 

"That  needs  no  telling,"  the  woman  replied,  "or  you 
vrculd  have  known  that  that  is  the  convent  of  Our  Lady, 


98  BONNIE  PRINCE  GHABLIB, 

one  of  the  richest  in  Touraine,  and  they  say  in  all  France. 
Though  what  they  do  with  their  riches  is  more  than  I  can 
tell,  seeing  that  the  rules  are  of  the  strictest,  and  that  no 
one  ever  comes  beyond  the  gates.  They  have  their  own 
grounds  down  to  the  river,  and  there  is  a  walk  along  the 
wall  there  where  they  take  the  air  of  an  evening  when  the 
weather  is  fine.     Poor  things,  I  pity  them  from  my  sonl." 

"But  I  suppose  they  all  came  willingly,"  Malcolm  said; 
"so  there  is  no  need  for  pity." 

"I  don't  know  about  willingly,"  the  woman  said.  "I 
expect  most  of  them  took  the  veil  rather  than  marry  the 
men  their  fathers  provided  for  them,  or  because  they  were 
in  the  way  of  some  one  who  wanted  their  lands,  or  because 
their  lovers  had  been  killed  in  the  war,  just  as  if  grief  for 
a  lover  was  going  to  last  all  one's  life.  Besides,  they  are 
not  all  sisters.  They  say  there's  many  a  lady  of  good 
family  shut  up  there  till  she  will  do  her  father's  will. 
'Well,  well,'  I  often  say  to  myself,  'they  may  have  all  the 
riches  of  France  inside  those  walls,  but  I  would  rather  sit 
knitting  at  my  door  here  than  have  a  share  of  them.' " 

"You  are  a  wise  woman,"  Malcolm  said.  "There  is 
nothing  like  freedom.  Give  me  a  crust,  and  a  sod  for  my 
pillow,  rather  than  gold  plates  inside  a  prison.  I  have 
been  a  soldier  all  my  life,  and  have  had  my  share  of  hard 
knocks;  but  I  never  grumbled  so  long  as  I  was  on  a  cam- 
paign, though  I  often  found  it  dull  work  enough  when 
in  garrison." 

"Oh,  you  have  been  a  soldier!  I  have  a  brother  in  the 
regiment  of  Touraine.     Perhaps  you  know  him?" 

"I  know  the  regiment  of  Touraine,"  Malcolm  said; 
"and  there  are  no  braver  set  of  men  in  the  king's  service. 
What  is  his  name?" 

"  Pierre  Pitou.  I  have  not  heard  of  him  for  the  last 
two  years.  He  is  a  tall  man,  and  broad,  with  a  scar  over 
the  left  eye." 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  99 

"To  be  sure,  to  be  sure!"  Malcolm  said.  "Of  course. 
Pierre  Pi  ton  is  one  of  my  best  friends;  and  now  I  think 
of  it,  madam,  I  onght  to  know  without  asking,  so  great  is 
his  resemblance  to  you.  Why,  his  last  words  to  me  were, 
'If  you  go  to  Tours,  seek  out  my  sister,  who  lives  in  a 
house  nearly  opposite  the  entrance  to  the  convent  of  Our 
Lady;*  and  to  think  I  should  have  forgotten  all  about  it 
till  I  saw  you !" 

Malcolm  remained  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  chatting 
■with  the  woman  about  her  brother,  and  then,  promising 
to  call  again  the  next  day  in  the  evening  to  be  introduced 
to  her  husband,  he  rejoined  Ronald,  who  had  been  waiting 
at  the  corner  of  the  lane,  and  had  been  fidgeting  with 
impatience  at  the  long  interview  between  Malcolm  and  the 
■woman. 

"What  have  you  been  talking  about  all  this  time,  Mal- 
colm, and  what  could  you  have  to  say  to  a  stranger?" 

"I  have  been  telling  her  all  about  her  brother,  Pierre 
Pitou  of  the  Touraine  regiment,  and  how  he  distinguished 
himself  at  Dettingen,  and  will  surely  be  made  a  sergeant, 
■with  a  hope  some  day  of  getting  to  be  a  captain.  I  have 
quite  won  her  heart." 

"But  who  is  Pierre  Pitou,  and  when  did  you  know 
him?"  Ronald  asked,  surprised. 

**  He  is  a  tall  man  with  broad  shoulders  and  a  scar  over 
his  left  eye,"  Malcolm  said,  laughing,  and  he  then  related 
the  whole  conversation. 

"But  why  did  you  pretend  to  this  poor  woman  that  you 
knew  her  brother?" 

"Because  she  may  be  very  useful  to  us,  Ronald;  and  if 
you  can't  find  a  friend  in  court,  it's  just  as  well  to  have 
one  near  court.  She  is  a  gossiping  woman,  and  like 
enough  she  may  know  some  of  the  lay  sisters,  who  are,  in 
fact,  the  servants  of  the  convent,  and  come  out  to  buy 
supplies  of  food  and  other  things,  and  -who  distribute  the 


100  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

alms  among  the  poor.  I  don'fc  know  what  advantage  will 
come  of  it  yet,  Kouald;  but  I  can  see  I  have  done  a  great 
stroke  of  business,  and  feel  quite  an  affection  for  my  friend 
Pierre  Pitou." 

Malcolm  followed  up  the  acquaintance  he  had  made,  and 
soon  established  himself  as  a  friend  of  the  family.  Ronald 
did  not  accompany  him  on  any  of  his  visits,  for  as  the 
plan  of  proceeding  was  still  undecided,  he  and  Malcolm 
agreed  that  it  was  better  that  he  should  not  show  himself 
until  some  favorable  opportunity  offered. 

Sometimes  toward  evening  he  and  Malcolm  would  take 
a  boat  and  float  down  the  stream  past  the  convent  walls, 
and  Eonald  would  wonder  which  of  the  JBgures  whose 
heads  he  could  perceive  as  they  walked  upon  the  terrace, 
was  that  of  his  mother.  It  was  not  until  Malcolm  had 
become  quite  at  home  with  Madam  Vipon  that  he  again 
turned  the  conversation  toward  the  convent.  He  learned 
that  she  had  often  been  inside  the  walls,  for  before  her 
marriage  she  had  worked  at  a  farm  whence  the  convent 
drew  a  portion  of  its  supplies,  milk,  butter,  and  eggs,  and 
she  had  often  carried  baskets  to  the  convent. 

"Of  course  I  never  went  beyond  the  outer  court,"  she 
said;  "but  Farmer  Miron's  daughter — it  was  he  owned 
the  farm — is  a  lay  sister  there.  She  was  crossed  in  love, 
poor  girl.  She  liked  Andre,  the  son  of  a  neighboring 
farmer,  but  it  was  but  a  small  place  by  the  side  of  that  of 
MiroT^,  and  her  father  would  not  hear  of  it,  but  wanted 
her  to  marry  Jacques  Dubois,  the  rich  miller,  who  was  old 
enough  to  be  her  father.  Andre  went  to  the  wars  and 
was  killed;  and  instead  of  changing  when  the  news  came, 
as  her  father  expected,  and  taking  up  with  the  miller,  she 
hated  him  worse  than  ever,  and  said  that  he  was  the  cause 
of  Andre's  death;  so  the  long  and  short  of  it  was,  she 
came  as  a  lay  sister  to  the  convent  here.  Of  course  she 
never  thought  of  taking  the  vows,  for  to  do  that  here  one 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE,  101 

mnst  be  noble  and  be  able  to  pay  a  heavy  dowry  to  the 
convent. 

''So  she  is  just  a  lay  sister,  a  sort  of  servant,  you  know, 
but  she  is  a  favorite  and  often  goes  to  market  for  them, 
and  when  she  does  she  generally  drops  in  here  for  a  few 
minutes  for  a  talk;  for  though  she  was  only  a  child  when  I 
■was  at  the  farm  we  were  great  friends,  and  she  hears  from 
ine  how  all  the  people  she  used  to  know  are  getting  on." 

"I  suppose  she  knows  all  the  ladies  who  reside  in  the 
convent  as  well  as  the  sisters?" 

"Oh,  yes,  and  much  better  than  the  sisters!  It  is  on 
them  slie  waits.  She  does  not  see  much  of  the  sisters, 
■who  keep  to  their  own  side  of  the  house,  and  have  very 
little  to  do  with  the  visitors,  or  as  one  might  call  them  the 
Yjrisoners,  for  that  is  what  most  of  them  really  are." 

"Now  I  think  of  it,"  Malcolm  said,  "one  of  the  officers 
I  served  under  had  a  relation,  a  lady,  whom  I  have  heard 
him  say,  when  he  was  talking  to  another  ofiicer,  is  shut 
Tip  here,  either  because  she  wouldn't  marry  some  one  her 
father  wanted  her  to,  or  she  wanted  to  marry  some  one  her 
father  didn't  want  her  to,  I  forget  exactly  what  it  was 
now.  Let  me  see  what  was  her  name.  Elise — no,  that 
"wasn't  it.  Amelie — Amelie  de  Eecambours — yes,  that 
■was  it." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  know  the  name!  I  have  heard  Jeanne 
speak  of  her.  Jeanne  said  it  was  whispered  among  them 
that  she  had  really  married  somebody  against  her  father's 
■will.  At  any  rate  she  has  been  there  ever  so  many  years, 
and  they  have  not  made  her  take  the  veil,  as  they  do  most 
of  them  if  they  are  obstinate  and  won't  give  way.  Poor 
thing!  Jeanne  says  she  is  very  pretty  still,  though  she 
must  be  nearly  forty  now." 

"That  is  very  interesting,"  Malcolm  said;  "and  if  you 
will  not  mind,  Madam  Yipon,  I  will  write  to  the  officer  of 
\?hom  I  spoke  and  tell  him  his  cousin  is  alive  and  well.     I 


102  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

Tvas  his  servant  in  the  regiment,  and  I  know,  from  what  I 
have  heard  him  say,  he  was  very  much  attached  to  her. 
There  can  he  no  harm  in  that,  yoa  know,"  he  said,  as 
Madam  Vipon  looked  doubtful;  "but  if  you  would  prefer 
it,  of  course  I  will  not  say  how  I  have  heard." 

"  Yes,  that  will  be  better,"  she  agreed.  "  There  is  never 
any  saying  how  things  come  round;  and  though  there's 
no  harm  in  what  I  have  told  you,  still  it's  ill  gossiping 
about  what  takes  place  inside  convent  walls." 

"I  quite  agree  with  you,  my  dear  Madam  Vipon,  and 
admire  your  discretion.  It  is  singular  how  you  take  after 
your  brother.  Pierre  Pitou  had  the  reputation  of  being 
the  most  discreet  man  in  the  regiment  of  Touraine." 

Ronald  was  very  excited  when  he  heard  from  Malcolm 
that  he  had  actually  obtained  news  at  second  hand  as  to 
his  mother,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  his  friend  per- 
suaded him  to  allow  matters  to  go  on  as  he  proposed. 

"It  will  never  do  to  hurry  things  now,  Eonald;  every- 
thing is  turning  out  beyond  our  expectations.  A  fortnight 
ago  it  seemed  absolutely  hopeless  that  you  should  commu- 
nicate with  your  mother;  now  things  are  in  a  good  train 
for  it." 

Accordingly  Malcolm  made  no  further  allusion  to  the 
subject  to  Madam  Vipon  until  a  fortnight  had  passed; 
then  he  said,  on  calling  on  her  one  day: 

"Do  you  know,  my  dear  Madam  Vipon,  I  have  had  a 
letter  from  the  gentleman  of  whom  I  was  speaking  to  you. 
He  is  full  of  gratitude  at  the  news  I  sent  him.  I  did  not 
tell  him  from  whom  I  had  heard  the  news,  save  that  it  was 
from  one  of  the  kindest  of  women,  the  sister  of  an  old 
comrade  of  mine.  He  has  sent  me  this" — and  he  took  out 
a  small  box  which  he  opened,  and  showed  a  pretty  gold 
brooch,  with  earrings  to  match — "and  bid  me  to  give  it 
in  his  name  to  the  person  who  had  sent  him  this  good 
news." 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  103 

"That  is  beautifal,"  Madam  Vipon  said,  clapping  her 
hands;  "and  I  have  so  often  wished  for  a  real  gold  brooch! 
Won't  my  husband  open  his  eyes  when  he  sees  them !" 

"I  think,  if  I  might  advise,  my  dear  madam,"  Malcolm 
said,  "I  should  not  give  him  the  exact  history  of  them. 
He  might  take  it  into  his  head  that  you  had  been  gossip- 
ing, although  there  is  no  woman  in  the  world  less  given  to 
gossiping  than  you  are.  Still  you  know  what  husbands 
are.  Therefore,  if  I  were  you  I  would  tell  him  that  your 
brother  Pierre  had  sent  them  to  you  through  me,  knowing, 
you  see,  that  you  could  not  have  read  a  letter  even  if  he 
could  have  written  one." 

"Yes,  perhaps  that  would  be  the  best,"  Madam  Vipon 
said;  "but  you  had  better  write  to  Pierre  and  tell  him. 
Otherwise,  when  he  comes  home,  and  my  husband  thanks 
him  for  them,  he  might  say  he  had  never  sent  theai,  and 
there  would  he  a  nice  affair." 

"I  will  do  so,"  Malcolm  said;  "but  in  any  case  I  am 
sure  your  wit  would  have  come  to  the  rescue,  and  you 
would  have  said  that  you  had  in  fact  bought  them  from 
your  savings;  but  that  thinking  your  husband  might 
grumble  at  your  little  economies  you  had  thought  it  best 
to  say  that  they  came  from  your  brother." 

"Oh,  fie,  monsieur;  I  am  afraid  you  are  teaching  me  to 
tell  stories." 

"That  is  a  very  hard  word,  my  dear  madam.  You 
know  as  well  as  I  do  that  without  a  little  management  on 
both  sides  husbands  an:!  wives  would  never  get  on  well 
together ;  but  now  I  want  to  tell  you  more.  Not  only 
does  my  old  master  write  to  say  how  glad  he  is  to  hear  of 
his  cousin's  welfare,  but  he  has  told  me  a  great  deal  more 
about  the  poor  lady,  and  knowing  your  kindness  of  heart 
I  do  not  hesitate  to  communicate  tlie  contents  of  his  letter 
to  you.  The  Countess  Amelie  de  Recambours  was  secretly 
married  to  a  young  officer,  a  great  friend  of  my  late  master, 


104  BONNIE  PRINCE  GHABLIB. 

and  her  father  did  not  discover  it  until  after  the  birth  of 
a  child — a  boy.  Then  she  was  shut  up  here.  The  father 
got  the  boy  safely  away  to  Scotland,  but  he  has  now  come 
back  to  France.  I  do  not  suppose  the  poor  lady  has  ever 
heard  of  her  little  son  since,  and  it  would  be  an  act  of 
kindness  and  mercy  to  let  her  know  that  he  is  alive  and 
well." 

"Yes,  indeed,  poor  creature,"  Madam  Vipon  said  sym- 
pathetically. "Only  to  think  of  being  separated  from 
your  husband,  and  never  hearing  of  your  child  for  all 
these  years!" 

"1  knew  your  tender  heart  would  sympathize  with  her," 
Malcolm  said;  "she  is  indeed  to  be  pitied." 

"And  what  became  of  her  husband?" 

"I  fancy  he  died  years  ago;  but  my  master  says  nothing 
about  him.  He -only  writes  of  the  boy,  who  it  seems  is  so 
delighted  with  the  news  about  his  mother  that  he  is  com- 
ing here  to  see  if  it  is  possible  to  have  an  interview  with 
her." 

"But  it  is  not  possible,"  Madam  Vipon  exclaimed. 
"How  can  he  see  her  shut  up  as  she  is  in  that  convent?" 

"Yes,  it  is  difficult,"  Malcolm  agreed;  "but  nothing  is 
impossible,  my  dear  madam,  when  a  woman  of  heart  like 
yourself  takes  a  matter  in  hand;  and  I  rely,  I  can  tell  you, 
greatly  on  your  counsel;  as  to  your  goodwill,  I  am  assured 
of  that  beforehand." 

"But  it  is  quite,  quite,  quite  impossible,  I  assure  yon, 
rny  good  Monsieur  Anderson." 

"Well,  let  us  see.  Now  I  know  that  you  would  suggest 
that  the  first  measure  to  be  taken  is  to  open  communica- 
tion between  mother  and  son,  and  there  I  heartily  agree 
with  you." 

"That  would  be  the  first  thing  of  course,  monsieur;  but 
how  is  that  to  be  done?" 

"  Now  that  is  where  I  look  to  you,  madam.     Your  friend 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  105 

Jeanne  waits  upon  her,  you  see,  and  I  know  your  quick 
■wit  will  already  have  perceived  that  Jeanne  might  deliver 
a  message.  I  am  sure  that  she  would  never  be  your  friend 
had  she  not  a  warm  heart  like  your  own,  and  it  will  need 
very  little  persuasion  on  your  part,  when  you  have  told 
her  this  sad  story,  to  induce  her  to  bring  gladness  to  this 
unfortunate  lady." 

"Yes;  but  think  of  the  consequences.  Monsieur  Ander- 
son; think  what  would  happen  if  it  were  found  out." 

"Yes,  if  there  were  any  talk  of  the  countess  running 
away  from  the  convent  I  would  not  on  any  condition  ask 
you  to  assist  in  such  a  matter;  but  what  is  this — merely 
to  give  a  message,  a  few  harmless  Avords." 

"But  you  said  an  interview,  Monsieur  Anderson." 

"An  interview  only  if  it  is  possible,  my  dear  madam, 
that  is  quite  another  matter,  and  you  know  you  said  that 
it  Avas  quite  impossible.  All  that  we  want  now  is  just  a 
little  message,  a  message  by  word  of  mouth,  v/hich  not 
even  the  keenest  eye  can  discover  or  prevent;  there  can  be 
no  harm  in  that." 

"No,  I  don't  think  there  can  be  much   harm  in  that," 
Madam  Vipon  agreed;  "at  any  rate  I  will  talk  to  Jeanne.  _ 
It  will  be  her  day  for  going  to  market  to-morrow;  I  will 
tell  her  the  story  of  the  poor  lady,  and  I  think  I  can  answer 
beforehand  that  she  will  do  everything  she  can." 

The  following  afternoon  Malcolm  again  saw  Madam 
Vipon,  who  told  him  that  although  she  had  not  actually 
promised  she  had  no  doubt  Jeanne  would  deliver  the 
message. 

"She  will  be  out  again  on  Saturday,  monsieur,  at  nine 
in  the  morning,  and  if  you  will  be  here  with  the  boy,  if 
he  has  arrived  by  that  time,  you  shall  speak  to  her." 

At  the  time  appointed  Malcolm,  with  Eonald,  attired 
now  as  a  young  French  gentleman,  arrived  at  the  house  of 
Madam  Vipon,  who  was  warmly  thanked  by  Kouald  for 
the  interest  she  had  taken  in  him. 


106  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"My  friend  here  has  spoken  to  me  in  the  highest  terms 
of  you,  Madam  Vipon,  and  I  am  sure  that  all  that  he  has 
said  is  no  more  than  the  truth." 

"1  am  sure  I  will  do  all  I  can,"  replied  Madam  Vipon, 
■who  was  greatly  taken  by  Eonald's  appearance  and  manner; 
"it's  a  cruel  thing  separating  a  mother  from  a  son  so  many 
years,  and  after  all  what  I  am  doing  is  no  hanging  matter 
any  way." 

A  few  minutes  later  Jeanne  entered;  she  was  a  pleasant- 
looking  young  woman  of  five  or  six  and  twenty,  and  even 
her  somber  attire  as  a  lay  sister  failed  to  give  a  formal  look 
to  her  merry  face. 

"So  these  are  the  gentlemen  who  want  me  to  become  a 
conspirator,"  she  said,  "and  to  run  the  risk  of  all  sorts  of 
punishment  and  penalties  for  meddling  in  their  business?" 

"Not  so  much  my  business  as  the  business  of  my 
mother,"  Ronald  said.  "You  who  have  such  a  true  heart 
of  your  own,  for  madam  has  told  us  something  of  your 
story,  will,  I  am  sure,  feel  for  that  poor  lady  shut  up  for 
fifteen  years,  and  knowing  not  whether  her  child  is  dead 
or  alive.  If  we  could  but  see  each  other  for  five  minutes, 
think  what  joy  it  would  be  to  her,  what  courage  her  poor 
heart  would  take." 

"See  each  other!"  Jeanne  repeated,  surprised.  "You 
said  nothing  about  that,  Francoise;  you  only  said  take  a 
message.  How  can  they  possibly  see  each  other?  That's 
a  different  thing  altogether." 

"I  want  you  to  take  a  message  first,"  Ronald  said.  "If 
nothing  more  can  be  done  that  will  be  very  much; 
but  I  cannot  think  but  that  you  and  my  mother,  between 
you,  will  be  able  to  hit  upon  some  plan  by  which  we  might 
meet." 

"But  how,"  Jeanne  asked  in  perplexity,  "how  could  it 
possibly  be?" 

"For  example,"  Ronald  suggested;  "could  I  not  come 


BONNIE  PBINCE  CHARLIE.  10? 

in  as  a  lay  sister?  I  am  not  much  taller  than  you,  and 
could  pass  very  well  as  a  girl." 

Jeanne  burst  out  laughing. 

"Yon  do  not  know  what  yon  are  saying,  monsieur;  it 
would  be  altogether  impossible.  People  do  not  get  taken 
on  as  lay  sisters  in  the  convent  of  Our  Lady  unless  they 
are  known;  besides,  in  other  ways  it  would  be  altogether 
impossible,  and  even  if  it  were  not  it  might  be  years  before 
you  could  get  to  speak  to  the  countess,  for  there  are  only 
two  or  three  of  us  who  ever  enter  the  visitors'  rooms;  and 
lastly,  if  you  were  found  out  I  don't  know  what  would 
not  be  done  to  both  of  us.  No,  that  would  never  do  at 
all." 

"  Well,  in  the  next  place,  I  could  climb  on  to  the  river 
terrace  at  night,  and  perhaps  she  could  come  and  speak 
to  me  there." 

"That  is  more  possible,"  Jeanne  said  thoughtfully; 
"but  all  the  doors  are  locked  up  at  night." 

"But  she  might  get  out  of  a  window,"  Eonald  urged; 
"with  a  rope-ladder  she  could  get  down,  and  then  return 
again,  and  none  be  the  wiser." 

Jeanne  sat  silent  for  a  minute,  and  then  she  asked 
suddenly: 

"Are  you  telling  me  all,  monsieur,  or  are  you  intending 
that  the  countess  shall  escape  with  you  ?" 

"No,  indeed,  on  my  honor!"  Eonald  exclaimed.  "1 
have  nowhere  where  I  could  take  my  mother.  She  would 
be  pursued  and  brought  back,  and  her  position  would  be 
far  worse  than  it  is  now.  No;  I  swear  to  you  that  I  only 
want  to  see  her  and  to  speak  to  her,  and  I  have  nothing 
else  whatever  in  my  mind." 

"I  believe  you,  monsieur,"  Jeanne  said  gravely.  "Had 
it  been  otherwise  I  dare  not  have  helped,  for  my  punish- 
ment if  I  was  discovered  to  have  aided  in  an  escape  from 
the  convent  would   be   terrible — terrible!"    she  repeated 


108  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

with  a  shudder.  "As  to  the  other,  I  will  risk  it;  for  a 
gentler  and  kinder  lady  I  have  never  met.  And  yet  I  am 
sure  she  must  be  very,  very  brave  to  have  remained  firm 
for  so  many  years.  At  any  rate  I  veill  give  her  your 
message. " 

Eonald  took  from  a  small  leather  bag,  which  he  wore 
round  his  neck,  a  tiny  gold  chain  with  a  little  cross. 

"I  had  this  round  my  neck  when  I  was  taken  away  as  a 
child  to  Scotland.  No  doubt  she  put  it  there,  and  will 
recognize  it.  Say  to  her  only:  'He  whom  you  have  not 
seen  since  he  was  an  infant  is  in  Tours,  longing  above  all 
things  to  speak  to  you;'  that  is  all  my  message.  After- 
ward, if  you  will,  yon  can  tell  her  what  we  have  said,  and 
how  I  long  to  see  her.  How  high  is  her  room  from  the 
ground?  Because  if  it  is  high  it  will  be  better  that  I 
should  climb  to  her  window,  than  that  she  should  descend 
and  ascend  again." 

Jeanne  shook  her  head. 

"That  could  not  be,"  she  said.  "The  visitors  have  all 
separate  cells,  but  the  partitions  do  not  go  up  to  the  ceil- 
ing; and  even  if  you  entered,  not  a  word  could  be  spoken 
■without  being  overheard.  But  fortunately  she  is  on  the 
first  floor,  and  I  am  sure  she  is  not  one  to  shrink  from  so 
little  a  matter  as  the  descent  of  a  ladder  in  order  to  have 
an  interview  with  her  sou." 

That  same  afternoon  as  Amelie  de  Recambours  was  pro- 
ceeding from  the  refectory  to  her  cell,  following  several  of 
her  fellow  captives,  her  attendant  Jeanne  came  out  from 
one  of  the  cells.  Glancing  behind  to  see  that  no  one  was 
following,  she  put  her  finger  on  her  lips  and  then  whis- 
pered:  "Make  some  excuse  not  to  go  into  the  garden  with 
the  others  this  evening.  It  is  most  important."  Then 
she  glided  back  into  the  room  from  which  she  had  come. 

The  countess  followed  the  others  in  a  state  of  almost 
bewilderment.     For  sixteen  years  nothing  had  occurred  to 


bojsnie  puinoh:  cbahlie.  109 

?3reak  the  monoton}'  of  lier  existence.  At  first  occasional 
angry  messages  reached  her  from  her  father,  with  orders 
to  join  an  application  to  the  pope  for  a  divorce;  but  when 
it  had  been  found  impossible  to  overcome  her  steady  refu- 
sals the  messages  bad  at  last  ceased,  and  for  years  no  word 
from  the  outer  world  had  reached  her,  although  she  had 
learned  from  those  who  from  time  to  time  came  to  share 
her  captivity  what  was  passing  outside.  "Whether  her 
husband  was  alive  or  dead  she  knew  not.  They  had  told 
her  over  and  over  again  that  he  was  dead;  but  the  fact 
that  she  had  never  had  the  option  given  her  of  accepting 
another  husband  or  taking  the  final  vov/s  kept  hope  alive. 
For  she  was  convinced  that  if  he  was  really  dead,  efforts 
would  be  made  to  compel  her  to  marry  again. 

What,  then,  she  wondered  to  herself,  could  this  ccmnin- 
nication  so  secretly  given  mean?  She  regarded  the  lay 
sister  who  attended  upon  her  as  a  happy-looking  young 
woman  whose  face  was  in  strong  contrast  to  most  of  those 
within  the  walls  of  the  convent;  but  she  had  exchanged 
but  few  words  with  her,  knowing  that  she  would  be  but  a 
short  time  about  her.  For  the  policy  of  the  abbess  was  to 
change  the  attendants  upon  the  ladies  in  their  charge  fre- 
quently, in  order  to  prevent  them  from  being  tampered 
with,  or  persuaded  into  conveying  communications  with- 
out the  walls. 

"You  look  pale,  Amelie,"  one  of  the  other  ladies  said 
as  they  gathered  in  a  group  for  a  moment  before  proceed- 
ing to  their  respective  apartments,  where  they  were  sup- 
posed to  pass  the  afternoon  in  working,  reading,  and 
meditation. 

"It  is  the  heat,"  the  countess  said.  "I  have  a  head- 
ache." 

"You  look  it,"  the  latter  said.  "It  is  not  often  that 
you  have  anything  the  matter  with  you.  You  know  we 
all  say  that  you  must  have  a  constitution  of  iron  and  the 


110  BONNIE  PRTNCE  CHARLIE. 

conrage  of  a  Roland  to  be  sixteen  years  here  and  yet  to 
have  no  wrinkle  on  your  forehead,  no  marks  of  weeping 
ronnd  your  eyes." 

The  countess  smiled  sadly. 

"I  wept  the  first  six  months  almost  without  ceasing,  and 
then  I  told  myself  that  if  I  would  be  strong  and  resist  I  musfc 
weep  no  more.  If  a  bird  in  a  cage  once  takes  to  pining 
he  is  sure  not  to  live  long.  There  are  few  of  us  here  the 
news  of  whose  death  would  not  give  pleasure  to  those  who 
shut  us  up,  and  I  for  one  resolved  that  I  would  live  in 
spite  of  all." 

"Well,  you  must  not  get  ill  now,  Amelie.  We  should 
miss  you  terribly  in  the  one  hour  of  the  day  when  we  really 
live,  the  hour  when  we  walk  and  talk,  and  laugh  if  we 
can,  on  the  river  terrace." 

"I  don't  think  I  shall  be  able  to  come  this  evening," 
the  countess  said.  "I  shall  lie  down  and  keep  myself 
quiet.  To-morrow  I  hope  to  be  myself  again.  It  is  a 
mere  passing  indisposition." 

The  hours  passed  slowly  as  Amelie  lay  on  her  couch  and 
wondered  over  the  coming  interview.  There  were  so 
many  things  which  she  might  hear— that  her  father  was 
dead;  that  her  family  had  hopes  at  last  of  obtaining  her 
restoration  to  the  world.  That  it  could  be  a  message 
from  her  husband  she  had  no  hope,  for  so  long  as  her 
father  lived  she  was  sure  that  his  release  would  never  be 
granted.  As  to  the  child,  she  scarce  gave  it  a  thought. 
That  it  had  somehow  been  removed  and  had  escaped  the 
search  that  had  been  made  for  it  she  was  aware;  for  at- 
tempts had  been  made  to  obtain  from  her  some  clew  as  to 
where  it  would  most  likely  have  been  taken.  She  was 
convinced  that  it  had  never  been  found,  for  if  it  had  she 
would  have  heard  of  it.  It  would  have  been  used  as  a 
lever  to  work  upon  her. 
At  last  the  hour  when  she  was  accustomed  to  go  into 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  Ill 

the  garden  arrived,  and  as  the  convent  bell  strnck  seven 
she  heard  the  doors  of  the  other  cells  open,  the  sound  of 
feet  in  the  corridor,  and  then  all  became  still.  In  a  few 
minutes  a  step  approached,  and  one  of  the  sisters  entered 
to  inquire  why  she  was  not  in  the  garden  with  the  others. 

She  repeated  that  her  head  ached. 

"  You  look  pale,"  the  sister  said,  "and  your  hand  is  hot 
and  feverish.  I  will  send  you  up  some  tisane.  It  is  the 
heat,  no  doubt.  I  think  that  we  are  going  to  have 
thunder." 

In  a  few  minutes  a  step  was  again  heard  approaching, 
and  Jeanne  entered  with  the  medicament.  As  she  closed 
the  door  the  countess  started  into  a  sitting  position. 

"What  is  it,  Jeanne?  "What  is  it  that  you*  have  to  say 
to  me?" 

"Calm  yourself,  I  pray  you,  countess,"  Jeanne  said. 
"For  both  our  sakes  I  pray  you  to  hear  what  I  have  to  say 
calmly.  I  expect  Sister  Felicia  will  be  here  directly. 
When  she  heard  you  were  unwell  she  said  she  would  come 
up  and  see  what  you  needed.  And  now,  I  will  begin  my 
message.  In  the  first  place  I  was  to  hand  you  this." 
And  she  placed  in  Amelie's  hand  the  little  necklet  and 
cross. 

For  a  moment  the  countess  looked  at  them  wonderingly, 
and  then  there  flashed  across  her  memory  a  sturdy  child 
in  its  nurse's  arms,  and  a  tall  man  looking  on  with  a  loving 
smile  as  she  fastened  a  tiny  gold  chain  round  the  child's 
neck.  A  low  cry  burst  from  her  lips  as  she  started  to  her 
feet. 

"Hush,  lady,  hush!"  Jeanne  exclaimed.  "This  is  my 
message:  'He  whom  you  have  not  seen  since  he  was  an 
infant  is  in  Tours,  longing  above  all  things  to  speak  to 
you.'" 

"My  child!  my  child!"  the  countess  cried.  "Alive  and 
here!    My  Godl  I  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  remembered 


113  BONNIE  PBIA'GI£  CHARLIE. 

a  friendless  mother  at  last.  Have  you  seen  him,  Jeanne? 
What  is  he  like?     Oh,  tell  me  everything!" 

"He  is  a  right  proper  young  gentleman,  madam. 
Straight  and  comely  and  tall,  with  brown  waving  hair  and 
a  bright  pleasant  face.  A  son  such  as  any  mother  might 
be  proud  of." 

The  countess  suddenly  threw  her  arms  round  Jeanne's 
neck  and  burst  into  tears. 

"You  have  made  me  so  happy,  Jeanne;  happy  as  I 
never  thought  to  be  again.     How  can  I  thank  you?" 

"The  best  way  at  present,  madam,"  Jeanne  said  with  a 
smile,  "  will  be  by  drinking  up  that  tisane,  and  lying  down 
quietly.  Sister  Felicia  moves  abont  as  noiselessly  as  a  eat, 
and  she  may  pop  in  at  any  moment.  Do  you  lie  down 
again  and  I  will  stand  a  little  way  off  talking.  Then  if 
she  comes  upon  us  suddenly  she  will  suspect  nothing." 

The  countess  seiz:ed  the  bowl  of  tisane  and  drank  it  off, 
and  then  threw  herself  on  the  couch. 

"Go  on,  Jeanne,  go  on.  Have  pity  on  my  impatience. 
Think  how  I  am  longing  to  hear  of  him.  Did  the  message 
say  he  was  longing  to  see  me?     But  that  is  not  possible." 

"It  is  not  quite  impossible,  madam;  though  it  would  be 
dangerous,  "very  dangerous.  Still  it  is  not  quite  impos- 
sible." 

"How  then  could  it  be  done,  Jeanne?  You  know  what 
our  life  is  here.     How  can  I  possibly  see  my  boy?" 

"What  he  proposes,  madam,  is  this:  that  he  should 
some  night  scale  the  river  wall,  and  await  you  on  the  ter- 
race, and  that  you  should  descend  from  your  window  by  a 
rope-ladder,  and  so  return  after  seeing  him." 

"Oh,  yes,  that  is  possible!"  the  countess  exclaimed;  "I 
could  knot  my  bedclothes  and  slide  down.  It  matters  not 
about  getting  back  again,  since  we  have  no  ladder." 

"I  can  manage  to  bring  in  two  light  ropes,"  Jeanne 
said.     "  It  would  not  do  for  you  to  be  found  in  the  garden, 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  113 

for  it  wonld  excite  suspicion,  and  you  would  never  have  a 
cbauco  of  doing  it  again.  But  it  is  not  an  easy  thing  to 
climb  up  a  rope-ladder  with  no  one  to  help  you,  and  you 
know  I  shall  be  at  the  other  end  of  the  house." 

"That  is  nothing,"  the  countess  said.  "Had  I  to  climb 
ten  times  the  height,  do  you  think  I  should  hesitate  for  a 
moment  when  it  was  to  see  my  son.  Oh,  Jeanne,  how 
good  you  are!     And  when  will  it  be?" 

"I  will  bring  in  the  ropes  next  time  I  go  out.  Mind 
and  place  them  in  your  bed.  Yon  will  know  that  that 
night  at  eleven  o'clock  your  son  will  be  on  the  terrace 
awaiting  you." 

As  Jeanne  finished  speaking  she  placed  her  finger  on 
her  lips,  for  she  thought  she  heard  a  slight  noise  without. 
The  countess  closed  her  eyes  and  then  lay  down  on  her 
pillow,  while  Jeanne  stood  as  if  watching  her.  The  next 
instant  the  door  opened  noiselessly  and  Sister  Felicia  en- 
tered.    She  moved  v/ith  a  noiseless  stop  up  to  Jeanne. 

"Is  she  asleep?"  she  whispered. 

"Oh,  nol"  Jeanne  ansv/ered  in  a  louder  voice,  guessing 
that  the  sister  would  have  lieard  the  murmur  of  voices. 
"She  has  only  just  closed  her  eyes." 

The  countess  looked  up. 

"Ah!  is  it  you,  sister?  I  have  taken  the  tisane  Sister 
Angela  sent  up,  but  my  hands  are  burning  and  my  head 
aches.  The  heat  in  chapel  was  so  great  I  thought  I 
should  have  fainted." 

"Your  hands  are  indeed  burning,"  the  sister  said,  con- 
vinced as  soon  as  she  touched  them  that  the  countess  was 
really  indisposed.  "  Yes;  and  your  pulse  is  beating  quicker 
than  I  can  count.  Yes,  you  have  a  touch  of  fever.  I  will 
mix  you  a  draught  and  bring  it  up  to  you  at  once.  Hark! 
that  is  the  first  peal  of  thunder;  we  are  going  to  have  a 
storm.  It  will  clear  the  air,  and  do  you  even  more  good 
than  my  medicine.     I  will  leave  you  here  for  to-night;  if 


114  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

yon  are  not  better  to-morrow  we  will  move  yon  into  the 
infirmary." 

The  next  morning  Sister  Felicia  fonnd  her  patient  mnch 
better,  though  she  still  seemed  languid  and  weak,  and  was 
ordered  to  remain  quietly  in  her  apartment  for  a  day  or  so, 
which  was  just  what  she  desired,  for  she  was  so  filled  with 
her  new-born  happiness  that  she  feared  t  if  she  went 
about  her  daily  tasks  as  usual  she  should  not  be  able  to 
conceal  from  the  sharp  eyes  of  the  sisters  the  joyousnesa 
which  was  brimming  over  in  her,  while  had  she  laughed 
she  would  have  astonished  the  inmates  of  the  gloomy 
convent. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  115 


CHAPTER  VII.  ^ 

mother! 

When  Jeanne,  after  accomplishing  her  errands  the  next 
time  she  went  out,  entered  Madam  Vipon's,  she  found 
Ronald  and  Malcolm  awaiting  her. 

"You  have  told  my  mother?"  the  former  asked  eagerly 
as  she  entered. 

"Yes,  I  have  told  her,  and  if  I  had  been  an  angel  from 
heaven,  with  a  special  message  to  her,  the  poor  lady  could 
not  have  looked  more  happy." 

"And  you  have  been  like  an  angel  to  ns!"  Ronald  ex- 
claimed, taking  her  hand.  "How  can  I  thank  you  for 
your  goodness?" 

"For  shame,  sir!"  Jeanne  said,  smiling  and  coloring  as 
Ronald,  in  his  delight,  threw  his  arms  round  her  and 
kissed  her;  "remember  I  am  a  lay  sister." 

"I  could  not  have  helped  it,"  Ronald  said,  "if  you  had 
been  the  lady  superior.  And  now,"  he  went  on  eagerly, 
"is  all  arranged?  See,  I  have  brought  a  ladder  of  silk 
rope,  light  and  thin,  but  quite  strong  enough  to  bear  her." 

"You  take  all  for  granted  then,  sir.  You  know  I  said 
I  would  take  your  message,  but  that  I  would  not  engage 
to  meddle  further  in  it." 

"I  know  you  said  so;  but  I  was  sure  that  having  gone 
so  far  you  would  do  the  rest.  You  will,  won't  you, 
Jeanne?" 

^*I  suppose  I  must,"  Jeanne  said;  "for  what  with  the 


116  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE 

conntess  on  one  side  and  yon  the  other,  I  should  get  no 
peace  if  I  said  no.  Well,  then,  it  is  all  arranged.  At 
eleven  o'clock  to-night  yon  are  to  be  on  the  terrace,  and 
you  can  expect  her  there.  If  she  does  not  con:e  you  will 
know  that  something  has  occurred  to  prevent  her,  and  she 
will  come  the  following  night  at  the  same  hour." 

Jeanne  took  the  silken  cords  and  wound  them  round 
her,  under  her  lay  sister's  robe,  and  then,  with  a  kindly 
P-od  at  Eonald,  and  an  injunction  to  be  as  noiseless  as  a 
mouse  in  climbing  the  terrace,  and  above  all  not  to  raise 
his  voice  in  speaking  to  his  mother,  she  tripped  away 
across  the  street  to  the  convent. 

Malcolm  and  Eonald  sallied  out  from  Tours  before  the 
city  gates  were  closed  at  sunset,  and  sat  down  on  the  slope 
which  rises  from  the  other  side  of  the  river  and  waited  till 
it  was  time  to  carry  the  plan  into  operation.  Gradually 
the  lights  disappeared  from  the  various  windows  and  the 
sounds  which  came  across  the  water  ceased,  and  by  ten 
o'clock  everything  was  profoundly  still.  They  had,  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon,  hired  a  boat,  saying  they  were 
going  out  for  a  night's  fishing.  This  they  had  moored  a 
short  distance  below  the  town,  on  the  side  of  the  river 
where  they  now  were.  They  now  made  their  way  to  it 
and  rowed  quietly  across  the  stream ;  then  they  left  it  and 
waded  through  the  water,  which  flowed  knee-deep  at  the 
foot  of  the  walls. 

Although  Tours  was  scill  a  walled  town  the  habit  of 
keeping  sentry  in  time  of  peace  had  long  since  died  out, 
and  they  had  no  fear,  at  that  hour,  of  discovery.  There 
was  no  moon,  but  the  night  was  bright  and  clear,  and  thej 
iiad  no  difficulty  in  finding  that  part  of  the  wall  which 
now  formed  the  terrace  of  the  convent. 

They  were  provided  with  a  rope  knotted  at  every  foot, 
and  with  a  grapnel  attached  to  one  end.  At  the  second 
attempt  this  caught  on  the  parapet  of  the  wall,  and  Eonald 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHAELIB.  117 

at  once  climbed  it  and  stood  ou  the  terrace,  where,  a  min- 
nts  later,  he  was  joined  by  Malcolm.  The  convent  itself 
could  not  be  seen,  for  a  screen  of  trees  at  the  foot  of  the 
v;aH  shut  it  o2  from  the  view  of  people  on  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  river.  They  waited  quietly  until  a  sudden 
peal  of  the  bells  of  the  numerous  churches  announced  that 
it  Tvas  the  hour.  Then  they  moved  toward  the  steps  lead- 
ing down  into  the  garden.  A  minute  later  a  figure  was 
seen  approaching.  Malcolm  fell  back,  and  Konald  ad- 
vanced tov?ard  it.  As  the  countess  approached  she  held 
out  her  arms,  exclaiming: 

"My  boy,  my  boy!"  and  with  a  cry  of  "Mother!"  Kon- 
ald sprang  forward  into  her  embrace. 

For  a  short  time  not  a  word  was  spoken,  and  then  the 
countess  murmured: 

"My  God,  I  thank  thee  for  this  great  happiness.  And 
now,  my  son,"  she  said,  recovering  herself,  "tell  me  every- 
thing.    First,  have  you  news  of  your  father?" 

"Alas,  no!"  Eonald  said;  "nothing  has  been  heard  of 
him  since  the  fatal  day  when  he  was  seized;  but  I  am  con- 
vinced that  he  is  still  alive,  and  since  I  have  found  yon, 
surely  I  shall  be  able  to  find  him." 

"  Who  is  that  with  you,  Eouald?" 

"That  is  Malcolm  Anderson;  it  is  to  him  I  owe  every- 
thing. He  carried  me  off  and  took  me  away  with  him  to 
Scotland  the  day  ray  fathor  was  arrested.  He  has  been 
my  best  friend  ever  since,  and  it  is  he  who  brought  me 
here  to  you." 

The  countess  advanced  to  Malcolm. 

"My  son  has  told  me  that  we  owe  everything  to  you, 
my  brave  Malcolm!"  she  said,  holding  out  her  hand.  "I 
guessed  that  it  was  to  you  that  my  husband  had  confided 
the  care  of  the  child  when  I  learned  that  it  had  disap- 
peared. I  remember  what  confidence  he  had  in  your 
devotion,  and  how  he  confided  everything  to  you." 


118  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"He  was  like  a  brother  to  me,  madam,"  Malcolm  replied; 
"and  glad  indeed  am  I  that  I  have  been  able  to  befriend 
his  son  and  to  bring  him  back  to  yon  a  gentleman  who 
will  be  an  honor  even  to  his  father's  name  and  yours." 

"And  now  let  us  sit  down  here,"  the  countess  said, 
taking  a  seat  upon  a  bench.  "It  gets  light  very  early, 
and  you  must  not  stay  after  two  o'clock,  and  there  is  so 
much  for  me  to  hear." 

For  the  next  two  hours  Ronald  sat  holding  his  mother's 
hand,  while  he  told  her  the  story  of  his  life.  "And  now, 
mother,"  he  said,  when  he  had  concluded,  "we  have  but 
an  hour  left,  for  it  has  just  struck  one,  and  we  have  not  said 
a  word  yet  about  the  principal  thing  of  all.  How  are  we  to 
obtain  your  freedom?  Cannot  you  arrange  to  escape  with 
us?  I  do  not,  of  course,  mean  to-night,  for  we  have 
nothing  prepared,  and,  moreover,  I  promised  Jeanne  that 
there  should  be  no  attempt  at  escape;  but  we  can  come 
again  when  everything  is  ready.  We  shall  of  course,  need 
a  disguise  for  you,  for  there  will  be  a  hot  pursuit  when 
your  escape  is  known.  But  we  might  manage  to  reach 
the  coast  and  cross  over  to  England,  and  so  make  our  way 
north." 

"No,  my  son,"  the  countess  said.  "I  have  thought  it 
over  in  every  way  since  J  knew  you  were  here,  and 
I  am  resolved  to  remain  here.  Were  I  to  fly,  the  last 
hope  that  your  father  might  ever  be  freed  would  be  lost. 
My  father  would  be  more  than  ever  incensed  against  him 
and  me;  and,  moreover,  although  that  is  but  a  minor  con- 
sideration, there  would  be  no  hope  whatever  of  your  ever 
recovering  the  rank  and  estate  to  which  you  are  entitled. 
No,  I  am  resolved  to  wait  here,  at  any  rate  so  long  as  my 
father  lives.  At  his  death  doubtless  there  will  be  some 
change,  for  as  heiress  to  his  estates  my  existence  must  be 
in  some  way  recognized,  and  my  family  may  be  enabled  to 
obtain  my  release  when  his  powerful  opposition  is  removed; 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  119 

if  not,  it  will  be  time  to  take  the  idea  of  flight  into  consid- 
eration; till  then  I  remain  here.  Now  that  I  have  seen 
yon,  now  that  I  know  that  you  are  alive  and  well,  now 
that  I  can  think  of  yon  as  you  are,  for  I  can  just  make  out 
your  face  by  the  light  of  the  stars,  I  shall  be  as  near  con- 
tentment and  happiness  as  I  can  be  till  I  meet  your  father 
again.  In  the  meantime  your  good  friend  here  can  advise 
you  far  better  than  I  can  as  to  what  your  course  had  better 
be.  If  you  can  obtain  any  high  influence,  use  it  for  ob- 
taining your  father's  release.  If  it  be  accompanied  by  a 
sentence  of  exile  from  France  it  matters  not,  so  that  he  is 
freed.  You  can  then  return  here,  and  1  will  gladly  fly 
with  you  to  join  him  in  Scotland." 

Malcolm  now  rose  from  his  seat  and  left  mother  and  son 
half  an  hour  together.  When  two  o'clock  struck  he  re- 
turned to  them. 

"There  is  the  signal,"  the  countess  said,  rising,  "and 
How  we  must  part."  She  had  already  refused  to  accede  to 
Konald's  entreaty  that  she  would  meet  him  there  again. 

"No,  my  son,  we  have  been  permitted  to  meet  this  once, 
but  we  must  not  tempt  fortune  again.  Sooner  or  later 
something  would  be  sure  to  occur  which  would  lead  to  dis- 
covery, and  bring  ruin  upon  all  our  plans.  It  is  hard  to 
say  no  and  to  refuse  the  chance  of  seeing  you  again  now 
that  we  have  once  come  together,  but  I  am  fully  resolved 
that  I  will  not  risk  it." 

"We  will  see  you  safe  up  the  ladder,  mother,"  Eonald 
said.  "It  is  no  easy  matter  to  climb  up  a  rope-ladder 
swinging  loosely." 

"No,  I  discovered  that  in  descending,"  the  countess 
said;  "but  if  you  come  with  me  you  must  takeoff  your 
boots — the  print  of  a  man's  footstep  in  the  garden  would 
ruin  us  all;  and  mind,  not  a  word  must  be  spoken  when 
we  have  once  left  the  terrace." 

Taking  off  their  boots  they  accompanied  her  through 


120  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

the  garden.  There  was  a  last  passionate  embrace  at  the 
foot  of  the  ladder,  then  the  countess  mounted  it  while 
they  held  it  steady.  Directly  she  entered  the  window  she 
undid  the  fastening  of  the  rope  inside  and  let  the  ladder 
drop  down  to  them.  Five  minutes  later  Ronald  descended 
the  rope  into  the  river.  Malcolm  shifted  the  grapnel  so 
that  it  caught  only  on  the  edge  of  the  parapet  and  conld 
he  shaken  off  from  below  when  the  strain  on  the  rope  was 
removed,  then  he  slid  down  to  Ronald's  side.  A  sharp 
jerk  brought  down  the  grapnel,  and  they  returned  along 
the  edge  of  the  river  as  they  had  come,  crossed  in  the  boat, 
and  waited  for  morning. 

They  waited  two  days  longer  in  Tours  in  order  that 
they  might  receive,  through  Jeanne  from  the  countess,  a 
list  of  the  noble  families  to  which  she  was  related,  with 
notes  as  to  those  persons  of  whom  she  had  seen  most  before 
her  marriage,  and  who  she  believed  would  be  most  disposed 
to  exert  their  influence  on  her  behalf. 

"Jeanne,"  Eonald  said,  "lam  troubled  that  I  do  not 
know  what  I  can  do  to  show  yon  how  grateful  I  am.  I 
should  so  like  to  give  you  some  souvenir,  but  what  can  I 
do — you  could  not  wear  brooches,  or  earrings,  or  trinkets." 

"That  I  could  not,  monsieur,"  Jeanne  broke  in  with  a 
smile;  "and  if  I  could  1  would  not  accept  them  from  you. 
I  have  done  what  I  have  done  because  I  pitied  your  mother 
and  you,  and  I  am  content  that  if  I  have  broken  the  rules 
I  have  done  it  with  a  good  purpose." 

"Well,  Jeanne,"  Ronald  said,  "you  may  not  be  a  lay 
sister  all  your  life;  you  have  taken  no  vows  that  will  bind 
you  forever,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  lady  superior 
can  absolve  you  from  your  engagements  should  yon  at  any 
time  wish  to  go  back  to  the  world;  if  so,  and  if  I  am  still 
in  France,  I  will  come  to  dance  at  your  wedding,  and  will 
promise  you  as  pretty  a  necklace  and  earrings  as  are  to  be 
found  in  Touraine." 


Bouald  seeka  His  oiotber  ia  the  coaveut.— Page  116. 

^■Bonnie  Prince  Charlie. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  121 

"Very  well,  that  is  a  bargain,"  Jeanne  sai-d,  langhing; 
"and  it  is  not  impossible,  young  sir,  that  some  day  I  may 
hold  yon  to  your  promise,  for  only  last  market-day  I  met 
my  father,  and  he  spoke  more  kindly  to  me  than  he  iised 
to,  and  even  said  that  he  missed  me;  and  I  hear  that  the 
miller  has  found  some  one  who  will  put  up  with  him  for 
the  sake  of  his  money.  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  if,  when 
that  comes  off,  father  wants  me  home  again;  but  I  sha'n't 
go  directly  he  asks  me,  yon  may  be  sure,  but  shall  bargain 
that  if  there  be  again  any  qnestion  of  a  husband  it  will  be 
for  me  to  decide  and  not  him." 

The  next  day  Eonald  and  his  companion  started  for 
Paris.  They  were  highly  gratified  with  the  success  which 
had  attended  them,  and  Ronald  felt  his  whole  life  bright- 
ened now  that  he  had  found  the  mother  who  had  been  so 
long  lost  to  him.  On  arriving  at  Paris  they  found  that 
Colonel  Hume's  regiment  had  returned  to  the  capital.  It 
was  not  expected  that  there  would  at  present  be  any  further 
fighting  on  the  frontier,  and  two  or  three  of  the  Scotch 
regiments  had  been  brought  back.  Eonald  at  once  called 
on  Colonel  Hume  and  related  to  him  the  success  which 
had  attended  the  first  portion  of  his  undertaking. 

"I  congratulate  you  indeed,"  Colonel  Hume  said.  "I 
own  that  I  thought  your  enterprise  was  a  hopeless  one,  for 
it  seemed  to  me  impossible  that  you  should  be  able  to  ob- 
tain an  interview  with  a  lady  closely  imprisoned  in  a  con- 
vent. Why,  Anderson,  it  is  plain  now  that  your  talents 
have  been  lost,  and  that  you  ought  to  have  been  a  diplo- 
matist instead  of  wasting  your  time  as  a  soldier.  The 
way  you  carried  out  your  plan  was  indeed  admirable,  and 
I  shall  really  begin  to  think  that  Ronald  will  yet  succeed; 
and  now,  my  young  friend,  what  do  you  mean  to  do  next?" 

"  Would  it  be  possible,  sir,  to  ascertain  where  my  father 
is  confined?" 

"I  think  not,  my  lad,"  the  colonel  said  gravely.     "In 


122  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

addition  to  the  four  or  five  prisons  in  Paris  there  are  a 
score  of  others  in  different  parts  of  France.  The  names 
of  the  prisoners  in  each  are  known  only  to  the  governors; 
to  all  others  within  the  walls  they  exist  as  numbers  only. 
The  governors  themselves  are  sworn  to  secrecy,  and  even 
if  we  could  get  at  one  or  two  of  them,  which  would  be 
difficult  enough,  we  could  hope  for  no  more.  Nor  would 
it  be  much  satisfaction  to  you  merely  to  know  in  which 
prison  your  father  is  lying,  for  it  is  a  very  different  matter 
to  communicate  with  a  prisoner  in  one  of  the  royal  for- 
tresses to  passing  a  message  to  a  lady  detained  in  a  convent. 
*  can  see  nothing  for  you  but  to  follow  the  example  of 
your  mother  and  to  practice  patience,  so  conducting  your- 
self as  to  gain  friends  and  make  a  name  and  influence,  so 
that  at  your  grandfather's  death  we  may  bring  as  strong  a 
pressure  as  possible  to  bear  upon  the  king." 

"How  old  is  my  grandfather?"  Eonald  asked. 

"He  is  a  man  about  sixty." 

"  Why,  he  may  live  twenty  years  yet!"  Eonald  exclaimed 
bitterly. 

"Do  not  look  at  the  worst  side  of  the  question,"  Colonel 
Hume  replied  with  a  smile.  "But  he  may  live  some 
years,"  he  went  on  more  gravely,  "and  in  the  meantime 
you  must  think  what  you  had  better  do.  I  will  tell  you 
as  a  great  secret,  that  it  has  been  finally  resolved  that  an 
expedition  shall  sail  this  winter  for  Scotland,  and  fifteen 
thousand  troops  will  assemble  at  Dunkirk  under  Marshal 
Saxe.  Nothing  could  be  more  opportune.  We  are  to 
form  part  of  the  expedition,  with  several  other  Scottish 
regiments.  You  are  too  young  as  yet  for  me  to  ask  for  a 
commission  for  you,  but  if  you  like  I  will  enroll  you  as  a 
gentleman  volunteer;  in  this  way  you  may  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  distinguishing  yourself.  I  will  introduce  you  to 
the  chevalier,  and  it  may  be  that  if  he  succeeds  in  gaining 
the  crown  of  Scotland,  if  not  of  England,  he  will  himself 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  123 

ssk  King  Louis  as  a  personal  favor  to  release  and  restore 
to  him  Colonel  Leslie  of  Glenlyon,  who  fonght  bravely 
•with  him  in  '15.  If  the  expedition  fails,  and  we  get  back 
alive  to  France,  I  will  then  obtain  for  you  a  commission 
in  the  regiment,  and  we  can  carry  out  our  plan  as  we 
arranged.     What  do  you  say  to  that?" 

"I  thank  you  greatly,  sir,  and  accept  your  offer  most 
gratefully.  I  see  that  I  am  powerless  to  do  anything  for 
my  father  now,  and  your  plan  gives  at  least  a  prospect  of 
success.  In  any  case  nothiugwill  give  me  so  much  delight 
as  to  serve  with  the  regiment  he  formerly  commanded, 
and  under  so  kind  a  friend  as  yourself." 

"That  is  settled  then,"  Colonel  Hume  said;  "and  now 
about  outfit.  A  gentleman  volunteer  wears  the  uniform 
of  the  officers  of  the  regiment,  and  indeed  is  one  in  all 
respects  except  that  he  draws  no  pay.  My  purse  will  be  at 
your  disposal.  Do  not  show  any  false  modesty,  my  lad, 
about  accepting  help  from  me.  Your  father  would  have 
shared  his  last  penny  with  me  had  I  needed  it." 

"I  thank  you  heartily,  colonel,  for  your  offer,  and 
should  it  be  necessary  I  will  avail  myself  of  it,  but  at 
present  I  have  ample  funds.  Malcolm  carried  off  with 
me  a  bag  with  a  hundred  louis,  and  up  to  the  day  when  I 
landed  in  France  these  had  never  been  touched.  I  have 
eighty  of  them  still  remaining,  which  will  provide  ray 
outfit  and  my  maintenance  for  a  long  time  to  come." 

"There  is  another  advantage  in  your  being  a  volunteer, 
rather  than  on  the  list  of  officers,  Konald;  in  that  if  it  is 
necessary  at  any  time,  you  can,  after  a  word  with  me,  lay 
aside  your  uniform  and  go  about  your  affairs  as  long  as  you 
choose  without  question,  which  would  be  hard  to  do  if 
you  belonged  regularly  to  the  regiment." 

At  the  end  of  a  week  Konald  had  procured  his  uniform, 
and  was  presented  by  the  colonel  to  the  officers  of  the  reg- 
iment as  Eonald  Leslie,  the  son  of  an  old  friend  of  his. 


134  BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE. 

■who  was  joining  the  regiment  as  a  gentleman  volunteer. 
Malcolm  joined  only  in  the  capacity  of  Ronald's  servant. 
It  was  painful  to  the  lad  that  his  old  friend  and  protector 
should  assume  such  a  relation  toward  him,  hut  Malcolm 
laughed  at  his  scruples. 

"My  dear  Ronald,"  he  said,  "I  was  your  father's  serv- 
ant, and  yet  his  friend.  "Why  should  I  not  act  in  the  same 
capacity  to  you?  As  to  the  duties,  they  are  so  light  that, 
now  I  do  not  belong  to  the  regiment,  my  only  difficulty 
will  be  to  kill  time.  There  is  nothing  to  do  save  to  polish 
up  your  arms  and  your  equipment.  Your  horse  will  bo 
looked  after  by  a  trooper  so  long  as  you  are  with  the  regi- 
ment. I  shall  call  you  in  the  morning,  get  your  cup  of 
chocolate,  and  prepare  your  dinner  when  you  do  not  dine 
abroad,  carry  your  messages  when  you  have  any  messages 
to  send,  and  escort  you  when  you  go  about  any  business  in 
which  it  is  possible  that  a  second  sword  would  be  of  use  to 
you.  As  I  have  said,  the  only  trouble  will  be  to  know 
what  to  do  with  myself  when  you  do  not  want  me." 

It  was  now  the  end  of  August,  and  for  the  next  four 
months  Ronald  worked  hard  at  drill.  He  soon  became  a 
general  favorite  with  the  officers.  The  fact  that  his  name 
■was  Leslie,  and  that  he  was  accompanied  by  Malcolm,  who 
was  known  to  many  of  the  old  soldiers  as  being  devoted  to 
their  former  colonel,  and  as  having  in  some  strange  way 
disappeared  from  the  regiment  at  the  same  time,  gave 
ground  to  a  general  surmise  that  Leslie  was  the  colonel's 
son. 

Malcolm  himself,  when  questioned,  neither  denied  nor 
acknowledged  the  fact,  but  turned  it  off  with  a  joke  and  a 
laugh.  He  was  soon  as  much  at  home  in  his  old  regiment 
as  if  he  formed  a  part  in  it,  and  when  not  required  by 
Ronald  passed  the  greater  part  of  his  time  with  his  former 
comrades.  As  was  natural,  the  opinion  entertained  hy 
the  men  as  tc  X-^lie's  identity  was  shared  by  the  officers. 


BONNIE  PRINVE  CHARLIE.  135 

The  avoidance  by  Ronald  of  any  allusion  to  his  family,  his 
declining  when  he  first  came  among  them  to  say  to  which 
branch  of  the  Leslies  he  belonged,  and  the  decided  manner 
in  which  Colonel  Hume,  the  first  time  the  question  was 
broached  in  his  hearing  in  Ronald's  absence,  said  that  he 
begged  no  inquiries  would  be  made  on  that  score;  all  he 
could  assure  them  was  that  Leslie's  father  was  a  gentleman 
of  good  family,  and  a  personal  friend  of  his  own — put  a 
stop  to  all  further  questioning,  but  strengthened  the  idea 
that  had  got  abroad  that  the  young  volunteer  was  the  son 
of  Colonel  Leslie. 

Early  in  January  the  2d  Scottish  Dragoons  marched  for 
Dunkirk,  where  twenty  thousand  men  assembled,  while  a 
large  number  of  men-of-war  and  transports  were  gathered 
in  the  port.  One  day,  when  Ronald  was  walking  in  the 
street  with  Malcolm  at  his  heels,  the  latter  stepped  up  to 
him  and  touched  him. 

"Do  you  see  that  officer  in  the  uniform  of  a  colonel  of 
the  Black  Musketeers,  in  that  group  at  the  opposite  corner  j 
look  at  him  well,  for  he  is  your  father's  greatest  enemy, 
and  would  be  yours  if  he  knew  who  you  are;  that  is  the  Duke 
de  Chateaurouge." 

Ronald  gazed  at  the  man  who  had  exercised  so  evil  an 
influence  upon  the  fate  of  his  parents.  He  was  a  tall  dark 
man  with  a  pointed  mustache,  and  of  from  forty  to  forty- 
five  years  of  age.  His  features  were  regular  and  handsome; 
but  in  his  thin  straight  eyebrows,  the  curl  of  his  lips,  and 
a  certain  supercilious  drooping  of  the  eyelids,  Ronald  read 
the  evil  passions  which  rendered  him  so  dangerous  and 
implacable  an  enemy. 

"So  that  is  the  duke!"  Ronald  said  when  he  had  passed 
on.     "I  did  not  know  he  was  a  soldier." 

"  He  is  an  honorary  colonel  of  the  regiment,  and  only 
does  duty  with  it  when  it  is  called  on  active  service;  but 
he  served  in  it  for  some  years  as  a  young  man,  and  had 


136  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

the  reputation  of  being  a  good  soldier,  tbongh  I  know  that 
ho  was  considered  a  harsh  and  unfcdiv: ^  officer  by  the  men 
who  ssri^ed  under  him.  That  is  the  man,  Ronald,  and  if 
you  GOD.ld  get  six  inches  of  yonr  sword  between  his  ribs  it 
would  go  a  good  long  way  toward  obtaining  your  father's 
release^  but  I  warn  you  he  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best 
swordsmen  in  France." 

"I  care  not  how  good  a  swordsman  he  is,"  Ronald  said 
hotly,  "if  I  do  but  get  a  fair  chance." 

"Don't  do  anything  rash,  Ronald;  I  have  no  fear  about 
your  swordsmanship,  for  I  know  in  the  last  four  months 
you  have  practiced  hard,  and  that  Francois  says  that  young 
as  you  are  you  could  give  a  point  to  any  officer  in  the  regi- 
ment. But  at  present  it  were  madness  to  quarrel  with  the 
duke;  you  have  everything  to  lose  and  iiolhing  to  gain. 
If  he  killed  you  there  would  be  an  end  of  you  and  of  your 
plans;  if  you  killed  him  you  would  have  to  fly  the  country, 
for  a  court  favorite  is  not  to  be  slain  with  as  much  impu- 
nity as  a  bourgeoise,  and  equally  would  there  be  an  end  of 
all  hope  of  obtaining  your  father's  release. 

"No,  for  the  present  you  must  be  content  to  bide  your 
time.  Still  it  is  as  well  for  you  to  know  your  foe  when 
you  see  him,  and  in  the  meantime  go  on  frequenting  the 
various  schools  of  arms  and  learn  every  trick  of  the  sword 
that  is  to  be  tauglit.  Look!"  he  went  on,  as  a  group  of 
mounted  officers  rode  down  the  street;  "that  is  Marsha^ 
Saxe,  one  of  the  best  soldiers  in  France,  if  not  the  best, 
and  just  as  wild  and  reckless  in  private  life  as  he  is  calm 
and  prudent  as  a  general." 

Ronald  looked  with  some  surprise  at  the  great  general. 
He  had  expected  to  see  a  dashing  and  energetic-looking 
man,  the  beau  ideal  of  a  soldier.  He  saw  a  man  who 
looked  worn  and  bent  with  disease,  and  as  if  scarce  strong 
enough  to  sit  on  his  horse;  but  there  was  still  a  fire  in  his 
eye,  and  as  he  uttered  a  joke  to  an  officer  riding  next  ta 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  127 

him  and  joined  merrily  in  the  laugh,  it  was  evident  that 
his  spirit  was  untouched  by  the  disease  which  had  made  a 
wreck  of  his  body. 

A  few  days  later  a  messenger  arrived  with  the  news  that 
the  French  fleet  from  Brest  had  sailed,  and  had  met  the 
EDgiish  fleet  which  had  gone  off  in  pursuit  of  it,  and  that 
the  coast  of  Kent  was  in  consequence  unguarded.  Orders 
were  instantly  given  that  the  troops  should  embark  on 
board  the  transports,  and  as  fast  as  these  were  filled  they 
set  sail.  The  embarkation  of  the  cavalry  naturally  took 
longer  time  than  that  of  the  infantry,  and  before  the  Scot- 
tish Dragoons  had  got  their  horses  on  board  a  portion  o| 
the  fleet  was  already  out  of  sight. 

"Was  there  ever  such  luck!"  Malcolm  exclaimed,  after 
assisting  in  getting  the  horses  on  board,  a  by  no  means 
easy  task,  as  the  vessel  was  rolliug  heavily  at  her  mooring; 
"the  wiud  is  rising  every  moment,  and  blowing  straight 
into  the  harbor;  unless  I  mistake  not,  there  will  be  no 
sailing  to-night." 

This  was  soon  evident  to  all.  Signals  were  made  from 
ship  to  ship,  fresh  anchors  were  let  down,  and  the  top- 
mast housed.  By  midnight  it  was  blowing  a  tremendous 
gale,  which  continued  for  three  days.  Several  of  th© 
transports  dragged  their  anchors  and  were  washed  ashore, 
and  messages  arrived  from  different  parts  of  the  coast  tell- 
sing  of  the  wreck  of  many  of  those  which  had  sailed  before 
the  storm  set  in. 

The  portion  of  the  fleet  which  had  sailed  had  indeed 
been  utterly  dispersed  by  the  gale.  Many  ships  were  lost, 
and  the  rest,  shattered  and  dismantled,  arrived  at  intervals 
at  the  various  French  ports.  The  blow  was  too  heavy  to 
be  repaired.  The  English  fleet  had  again  returned  to  the 
coast,  and  were  on  the  lookout  to  intercept  the  expedi- 
tion, and  as  this  was  now  reduced  to  a  little  more  than 
half  of  its  original  strength  no  surprise  was  felt  when  the 
plan  was  abandoned  altogether. 


138  BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE. 

Marshal  Sase  with  a  portion  of  the  troops  marched  to 
join  the  army  in  Flanders,  and  the  Scotch  Dragoons  were 
ordered  to  return  to  Paris  for  the  present. 

For  a  year  Sonald  remained  with  the  regiment  in  Paris. 
He  had  during  that  time  been  introduced  by  Colonel  Hume 
to  several  members  of  his  mother's  family.  By  some  of 
these  who  had  known  her  before  her  marriage  he  was  kindly 
received;  but  all  told  him  that  it  would  be  hopeless  to 
make  any  efforts  for  the  release  of  his  father  as  long  as  the 
Marquis  de  Recambours  remained  alive  and  high  in  favor 
at  court,  and  that  any  movement  in  that  direction  would 
be  likely  to  do  harm  rather  than  good.  Some  of  the  others 
clearly  intimated  to  him  that  they  considered  that  the 
countess  had,  by  making  a  secret  marriage  and  defying 
her  father's  authority,  forfeited  all  right  to  the  assistance 
or  sympathy  of  her  mother's  family. 

Twice  Ronald  traveled  to  Tours  and  sent  messages  to 
his  mother  through  Jeanne,  and  received  answers  from  the 
countess.  She  had,  however,  refused  to  meet  him  again 
on  the  terrace,  saying  that  in  spite  of  the  love  she  had  for 
Lim,  and  her  desire  to  see  him  again,  she  was  firmly  re- 
solved not  to  run  the  risk  of  danger  to  him  and  the  failure 
of  all  their  hopes,  by  any  rash  step. 

At  the  end  of  the  summer  campaign  in  Flanders  Marshal 
Saxe  returned  to  Paris,  and  Colonel  Hume  one  day  took 
Ronald  and  introduced  him  to  him,  having  previously 
interested  the  marshal  by  relating  his  history  to  him. 
The  marshal  asked  Ronald  many  questions,  and  was  much 
pleased  with  his  frank  manner  and  bearing. 

"You  shall  hnve  any  protection  I  can  give  you,"  the 
marshal  said.  "No  man  has  loved  adventures  more  than 
I,  nor  liad  a  fairer  share  of  them,  and  my  sympathies  are 
altogether  with  you ;  besides,  I  remember  your  father  well, 
and  many  a  carouse  have  we  had  together  in  Flanders.  But 
1  am  a  soldier,  yon  know,  and  though  the  king  is  glad 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  129 

enor.gli  to  employ  onr  swords  in  fighting  his  enemies  we 
have  but  little  influence  at  court.  I  promise  you,  how- 
ever, that  after  the  first  great  victory  I  win  I  will  ask  the 
release  of  your  father  as  a  personal  favor  from  the  king, 
on  the  ground  that  he  was  an  old  comrade  of  mine.  I  can 
only  hope,  for  your  sake,  that  the  marquis,  your  grand- 
father, may  have  departed  this  world  before  that  takes 
place,  for  he  is  one  of  the  king's  prime  favorites,  and  even 
the  request  of  a  victorious  general  would  go  for  little  as 
opposed  to  his  influence  the  other  way.  And  now,  if  you 
like,  I  will  give  you  a  commission  in  Colonel  Hume's  regi- 
ment. You  have  served  for  a  year  as  a  volunteer  now, 
and  younger  men  than  you  have  received  commissions." 

Eouald  thanked  the  marshal  most  heartily  for  his  kind 
promise,  but  said  that  at  present  he  would  rather  remain  as  a 
volunteer,  because  it  gave  him  greater  freedom  of  action. 

"Perhaps  you  are  right,"  the  marshal  said.  "But  at 
any  rate  you  had  better  abstain  from  attempting  any  steps 
such  as  Colonel  Hume  tells  me  you  once  thought  of  for 
obtaining  the  release  of  your  father.  Success  will  be  all 
but  impossible,  and  a  failure  would  destroy  aitogetlier  any 
hopes  you  may  have  of  obtaining  his  release  from  the 
king." 

It  seemed  that  some  of  his  mother's  family  witli  whom 
he  had  communicated  must  have  desired  to  gain  the  favor 
of  the  favorite  of^  the  king  by  relating  the  circumstances 
to  him,  for  a  shor/'time  after  Eonald's  interview  with  the 
marshal  the  marquis  came  up  to  Colonel  Hume  when  he 
was  on  duty  in  the  king's  antechamber,  and,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  number  of  courtiers,  said  to  him: 

"So,  Colonel  Hum.e,  I  find  that  I  have  to  thank  you  for 
harboring  in  your  regiment  an  impostor,  who  claims  to  be 
my  grandson.  I  shall  know,  sir,  how  to  repay  the  obliga- 
tion." 

"  The'gentleman  in  question  is  no  impostor,  marquis,  as 


130  BOmUE  PPJNGE  CEABLIB. 

I  have  taken  tlie  pains  to  inform  myself.  And  I  am  not 
aware  of  any  reason  why  I  should  not  admit  the  sou  of  a 
Scottish  gentleman  into  my  regiment,  even  thongh  he 
happen  to  be  a  grandson  of  yours.  As  to  your  threat,  sir, 
as  long  as  I  do  my  duty  to  his  majesty  I  fear  the  displeas- 
ure of  no  man." 

Two  nights  later,  as  Konald  was  returning  from  dining 
wiUi  Colonel  Hume  and  some  of  his  officers,  he  was  sud- 
denly attacked  in  a  narrow  street  by  six  men.  Malcolm 
was  with  him,  for  Colonel  Hume  had  at  once  related  to  him 
the  conversation  he  had  had  with  the  marquis,  and  had 
warned  him  to  take  the  greatest  precautions. 
*'He  is  perfectly  capable  of  having  you  suddenly  put  out 
of  his  way  by  a  stab  in  the  back,  Ronald.  And  if  there 
were  anywhere  for  you  to  go  I  should  advise  you  to  leave 
Paris  at  once;  but  nowhere  in  France  would  you  be  safe 
from  him,  and  it  would  upset  all  your  plans  to  return  to 
Scotland  at  present.     However,  you  cannot  be  too  careful." 

Ronald  had  related  Avhat  had  passed  to  Malcolm,  who 
determined  to  watch  more  carefully  than  ever  over  his  safety 
and  never  left  his  side  when  he  was  outside  the  barracks. 

The  instant  the  six  men  rushed  out  from  a  lane,  at  whose 
enferauce  a  lantern  was  dimly  burning,  Malcolm's  sword 
was  out,  and  before  the  assailants  had  time  to  strike  a 
blow  he  had  run  the  foremost  through  the  body. 

Ronald  instantly  recovered  from  his  surprise  and  also 
drew.  He  was  now  nearly  eighteen,  and  although  he  had 
not  yet  gained  his  full  height  he  was  a  match  for  most 
men  in  strength,  while  his  constant  exercise  in  the  school 
of  arms  had  strengthened  the  muscle  of  his  sword-arm,  until 
in  strength  as  well  as  in  skill  he  could  hold  his  own  against 
the  best  swordsman  in  the  regiment.  The  men  were  for  a 
moment  checked  by  the  fall  of  their  leader;  but  then  see- 
ing that  they  had  opposed  to  them  only  one  man,  and 
another  whom  they  regarded  as  a  lad,  scarcely  to  be  taken 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  131 

into  Gonsideratiois,  they  rushed  upon  them.  They  were 
quickly  undeceived.  Konald  parried  the  first  blow  aimed 
at  Mm,  and  with  his  reposte  stretched  his  opponent  on 
the  pavement,  and  then  springing  forward,  after  a  few 
rapid  thrnsts  and  parries  ran  the  next  through  the  shoul- 
der almost  at  the  same  moment  that  Malcolm  stretched 
another  opponent  on  the  ground. 

Terrified  at  the  downfall  of  three  of  their  number, 
while  a  fourth  leaned  against  a  door-post  disabled,  the  two 
remaining  ruffians  took  to  their  heels  and  fled  at  the  top 
of  their  speed,  the  whole  affair  having  lasted  scarce  a 
minute. 

"Tell  yonr  employer,"  Eonald  said  to  the  wounded 
man,  "that  I  am  not  to  be  disposed  of  so  easily  as  he 
imagined.  1  should  be  only  giving  you  what  you  deserve 
if  I  were  to  pass  my  sv/ord  through  your  body;  but  I  dis- 
dain to  kill  such  pitiful  assassins  except  in  self-defense." 

The  next  morning  Ronald  communicated  to  Colonel 
Hume  what  had  happened. 

"It's  just  as  well,  my  young  friend,  that  you  are  going 
to  leave  Paris.  I  received  orders  half  an  hour  ago  for  the 
regiment  to  march  to  the  frontier  at  once.  That  is  the 
marqtiis'  doiiig,  no  doubt.  He  thought  to  get  rid  of  you 
last  night  and  to  punish  me  this  morning;  but  he  has 
failed  both  ways.  You  have  defeated  his  cutthroats;  1 
shall  be  heartily  glad  to  be  at  the  front  again,  for  I  am 
sick  of  this  idle  life  in  Paris." 


13:^  ^OxVmM  FUIMGE  CEAiiLIS, 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HIDDEN   FOES. 

**I  AM  heartily  glad  to  be  out  of  Paris,"  Eonald  said  to 
Malcclm  on  their  first  halt  after  leaving  the  capital.  "It 
is  not  pleasant  to  regard  every  man  one  meets  after  dark 
as  a  possible  enemy,  and  although  I  escaped  scot-free  from 
the  gang  who  attacked  ns  the  other  night,  one  cannot 
always  expect  such  good  fortune  as  that.  It  was  a  con- 
stant weight  on  one's  mind,  and  I  feel  like  a  new  man 
now  that  we  are  beyond  the  city  walls." 

"Nevertheless,  Ronald,  we  must  not  omit  any  precau- 
tions. Your  enemy  has  a  long  purse,  and  can  reach  right 
across  France.  That  last  affair  is  proof  of  his  bitterness 
against  you,  and  it  would  be  rash  indeed  were  we  to  act  as 
if,  having  made  one  attempt  and  failed,  he  would  abandon 
his  plans  altogether.  He  is  clearly  a  man  who  nourishes  a 
grudge  for  years,  and  his  first  failure  is  only  likely  to  add 
to  his  vindictive  feeling.  I  do  not  say  that  your  danger  is 
as  great  as  it  was  in  Paris,  but  that  is  simply  because  the 
opportunities  of  attacking  you  are  fewer.  I  should  advise 
you  to  be  as  careful  as  before  and  to  be  on  your  guard 
against  ambushes  and  surprises." 

"Well,  it  may  be  so,  Malcolm,  and  of  course  I  will  be 
careful;  but  till  I  have  proof  to  the  contrary  I  shall  prefer 
to  think  that  the  marquis  will  trust  to  my  being  knocked 
on  the  head  during  the  war,  and  will  make  no  further 
move  against  me  until  the  regiment  returns  to  Paris." 

"Think  what  you  like,  lad,"  Malcolm  said,  "so  that  you 


BONNIE'  PRINCE  CHA RLIE.  Vd'6 

are  cantions  and  guarded.  I  shall  sleep  with  one  eye  open, 
I  can  tell  you,  till  we  are  fairly  beyond  the  frontier." 

Two  days  later  the  regiment  encamped  outside  the  town 
of  St.  Quentin.  They  were  usually  quartered  on  the  in- 
habitants; but  the  town  was  already  filled  with  troops, 
and  as  the  weather  was  fine  Colonel  Hume  ordered  his 
men  to  bivouac  a  short  distance  outside  the  walls.  Eonald 
•was  seeing  that  his  troop  got  their  breakfast  next 
morning,  when  a  sergeant  came  up  with  two  men  with  a 
horse. 

"This  is  Monsieur  Leslie,"  he  said  to  them.  "These 
men  were  asking  for  you,  sir." 

"What  do  you  want  with  me?"  Ronald  said,  surprised. 

"We  heard,  sir,"  one  of  the  peasants  said,  "that  you 
wanted  to  buy  a  horse.  We  have  a  fiue  animal  here,  and 
cheap." 

"But  I  do  not  want  to  buy  one,"  Ronald  replied.  "I 
am  very  well  supplied  with  horses.  What  made  you  think 
I  wanted  one?" 

"  We  asked  one  of  the  officers,  sir,  if  any  one  in  the 
regiment  would  be  likely  to  buy,  and  he  said  that  Monsieur 
Leslie  wanted  one,  he  believed." 

"No,"  Ronald  said  decidedly..  "WHioever  told  you  was 
mistaken.  I  have  my  full  complement,  and  though  your 
horse  looks  a  nice  animal  I  could  not  take  him  if  you 
offered  him  to  me  for  nothing.  I  don' I;  think  you  will  get 
any  one  to  buy  him  in  the  regiment.  1  believe  tliat  every 
oflScer  has  his  full  complement  of  chargers." 

In  the  evening  Ronald  happened  to  mention  to  Malcolm 
the  offer  he  had  had  in  the  morning. 

"It  was  a  nice-looking  beast,"  he  said  "and  I  had  half  a 
mind  to  ask  them  what  they  would  take  to  exchange  him 
with  my  roan,  but  I  did  not  want  to  dip  further  into  my 
purse." 

"I  wish  I  had  been  beside  you  at  the  time,"  Malcolm 


134  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

said  earnestly;  "those  two  fellows  wouldn't  have  gone  out 
of  the  camp  so  easily." 

"Why,  wl>at  do  yon  mean,  Malcolm?" 

"Mean!"  Malcolm  repeated  in  a  vexed  tone.  "This  is 
what  comes  of  your  being  watchful  and  cautious,  Ronald. 
Why,  the  matter  is  clear  enough.  The  marquis  has  set 
men  on  your  track,  but  of  course  they  could  do  nothing 
until  some  of  them  knew  you  by  sight,  so  two  of  them  are 
sent  into  camp  with  this  cock-and-bull  story  about  a  horse, 
and  they  come  and  have  a  good  look  at  you  and  go  quietly 
off.  It  is  too  provoking.  Had  I  been  there  I  would  have 
given  them  in  charge  of  a  file  of  men  at  once.  Then  we 
would  have  asked  every  officer  in  the  regiment  if  he  had 
Eont  them  to  you,  and  when  we  found,  as  we  certainly 
should  have  found,  thab  none  of  them  had  done  so,  we 
should  have  marched  the  men  off  to  Colonel  Hume,  and  I 
am  sure,  when  he  heard  the  circumstances  of  the  case, 
they  would  have  been  lashed  up  and  flogged  till  he  had 
got  the  truth  of  the  matter  out  of  them.  My  great  hope 
has  been  that  they  could  not  very  well  attempt  your  life, 
because  none  of  the  men  who  might  be  engaged  on  the  job 
would  be  likely  to  know  your  face,  and  they  would  there- 
fore have  no  means  of  singling  yon  out  for  attack;  and 
now  two  of  the  ruffians  will  be  able  to  follow  yon  and 
watch  their  opportunity." 

"Oh,  nonsense,  Malcolm,  you  are  too  suspicious  alto- 
gether! I  have  no  doubt  the  affair  was  just  as  they  stated 
it  to  be.     What  was  more  natural?" 

"Well,  Ronald,  you  will  meet  all  the  other  officers  at 
supper  in  half  an  hour.  Just  ask  if  any  of  them  sent  two 
men  wanting  to  sell  a  horse  to  you  this  morning;  if  any  of 
them  say  that  they  did  so,  I  will  acknowledge!  am  wrong." 

Accordingly  Ronald,  at  supper,  put  the  question,  but 
none  of  the  officers  admitted  they  knew  anything  about 
the  matter. 


BONNIE  PlilNCE  CHARLIE.  135 

"Yon  have  two  very  good  horses,  Leslie;  why  should 
any  one  suppose  that  you  wanted  another?"  the  colonel 


"I  don't  know,"  Eonald  said.  "I  only  know  that  two 
ssen  did  come  up  with  a  horse  to  me  this  morning,  and 
said  that  one  of  the  otticers  had  told  them  that  I  wanted 
to  buy  one." 

"It  must  have  been  one  of  the  men,"  the  colonel  said 
carelessly,  "though  I  don't  know  why  any  one  should 
suppose  that  you  wanted  another  charger.  Still,  some 
one,  knowing  that  yon  are  the  last-joined  oflBcer,  might 
think  you  had  need  for  a  second  horse." 

The  subject  dropped,  and  Malcolm  shook  his  head 
ominously  when  Eonald  acknowledged  to  him  that  his  sus- 
picions were  so  far  right  that  none  of  the  otScers  had  sent 
the  men  to  him.  The  next  day,  as  the  regiment  was  pass- 
ing through  a  thick  wood,  and  Eonald  was  riding  with 
Captain  Campbell  behind  his  troop,  which  happened  to  be 
in  the  rear  iu  the  regiment,  two  shots  were  fired  from 
among  the  trees.  The  first  struck  Eouald's  horse  in  the 
neck,  causing  him  to  swerve  sharply  round,  a  movement 
which  saved  his  rider's  life,  for  the  second  shot,  which 
was  fired  almost  instantly  after  the  first,  grazed  his  body 
and  passed  between  him  and  Captain  Campbell. 

"Are  you  hit,  Leslie?"  the  latter  exclaimed,  for  the 
sudden  movement  of  his  horse  had  almost  unseated  Ronald. 

"Nothing  serious,  I  think.  The  bullet  has  cut  my  coat 
and  grazed  my  skm,  I  think,  but  nothing  more." 

The  captain  shouted  orders  to  his  men,  and  with  a  score 
of  troopers  dashed  into  the  wood.  The  trees  grew  thickly 
and  there  was  a  dense  undergrowth,  and  they  had  difficulty 
in  making  their  way  through  them.  For  half  an  hour 
they  continued  their  search  without  success,  and  then 
rejoined  the  regiment  on  its  march. 

"This  is  a  curious  afiair,"  Colonel  Hume  said  when 


136  BONNIE  PHINCE  CHARLIE. 

Captain  Campbell  reported,  at  the  next  halt,  that  an  at- 
tempt at  assassination  had  taken  place. 

"It  looks  like  a  premeditated  attempt  upon  one  or  other 
of  yon.  Yon  haven't  been  getting  into  auy  scrape,  have 
yon?"  he  asked  with  a  smile;  "kissing  some  peasant's 
■wife  or  offering  to  run  away  with  his  daughter?  But  seri- 
ously this  is  a  strange  affair.  Why  should  two  men  lie  in 
wait  for  the  regiment  and  fire  at  two  of  its  officers.  The 
men  have  been  behaving  well,  as  far  as  I  have  heard,  on 
the  line  of  march,  and  nothing  has  occurred  which  could 
explain  such  an  outrage  as  this." 

"It  may  be  fancy  on  my  part,  colonel,"  Eonald  said, 
"bnt  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  it  is  a  sequence  of  that 
affair  I  told  you  about  in  Paris,  just  before  we  started. 
The  first  shot  struck  my  horse  and  the  second  would  cer- 
tainly have  killed  me  had  it  not  been  for  the  horse's  sud- 
den swerve,  therefore  it  looks  as  if  the  shots  were  aimed  at 
me.  I  have  some  reason,  too,  for  supposing  that  I  have 
been  followed.  If  you  remember  my  question  last  night 
at  supper  about  the  men  who  wanted  to  sell  me  a  horse. 
Malcolm  Anderson  is  convinced  that  the  whole  thing  was 
only  a  ruse  to  enable  them  to  become  acquainted  with  my 
face.  They  wanted  to  be  able  to  recognize  me,  and  so  got 
up  this  story  in  order  to  have  me  pointed  out  to  them,  and 
to  have  a  talk  with  me.  None  of  the  officers  did  send 
them  to  me,  as  they  said,  and  they  could  hardly  have  hit 
npon  a  better  excuse  for  speaking  to  me." 

"It  certainly  looks  like  it,"  Colonel  Hu".ie  said  gravely. 
"I  would  give  a  good  deal  if  we  had  caught  those  two  men 
in  the  wood.  If  we  had  I  would  have  given  them  the 
choice  of  being  hung  at  once  or  telling  me  what  was  their 
motive  in  firing  at  you  and  who  paid  them  to  do  it.  This 
is  monstrous.  If  we  could  get  but  a  shadov/  of  proof 
against  your  enemies  I  would  Isy  a  formal  complaint  lie- 
fore  the  king.     Marquis  or  no  marquis,  I  am  not  going  to 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  137 

have  my  oflScers  assassinated  -with  impunity.  However, 
till  we  have  something  definite  to  go  upon,  we  can  do 
nothing,  and  until  then,  Leslie,  you  had  best  keep  your 
suspicion  to  yourself.  It  were  best  to  say  nothing  of  what 
you  think;  in  this  country  it  is  dangerous  even  to  whisper 
against  a  king's  favorite.  Let  it  be  supposed  that  this 
attack  in  the  woods  was  only  the  work  of  some  malicious 
scoundrels  who  must  have  fired  out  of  pure  hatred  of  the 
king's  troops." 

Captain  Campbell  and  Ronald  quite  agreed  with  the 
view  taken  by  the  colonel,  and  answerel  all  questions  as 
to  the  affair,  that  they  had  not  the  least  ;aea  who  were  the 
men  who  fired  on  them,  and  that  no  one  obtained  as  much 
as  a  glimpse  of  them. 

With  most  of  the  officers  of  the  regiment,  indeed  with 
all  except  one,  Eonald  was  on  excellent  terms.  The  ex- 
ception was  a  lieutenant  named  Crawford;  he  was  first  on 
the  list  of  his  company,  and  had,  indeed,  been  twice  passed 
over  in  consequence  of  his  quarrelsome  and  domineering 
disposition.  He  was  a  man  of  seven  or  eight  and  tv/enty; 
he  stood  about  the  same  height  as  Ronald  and  was  of  much 
the  same  figure,  indeed  the  general  resemblance  between 
them  had  often  been  remarked. 

His  dislike  to  Ronald  had  arisen  from  the  fact  that  pre- 
vious to  the  latter  joining  the  regiment  Crawford  had  been 
considered  the  best  swordsman  among  the  officers,  and 
Ronald's  superiority,  which  had  been  proved  over  and  over 
again  in  the  fencing-room,  had  annoyed  him  greatly. 
Knowing  that  he  would  have  no  chance  whatever  with 
Ronald  in  a  duel,  he  had  carefully  abstained  from  open 
war,  showing  his  dislike  only  by  sneering  remarks  and  sar- 
castic comments  which  frequently  tried  Ronald's  patience 
to  the  utmost,  and  more  than  once  called  down  a  sharp 
rebuke  from  Colonel  Hume  or  one  or  other  of  the  majors. 
He  did  not  lose  the  opportunity  afforded  by  the  shots  fired 


Sgg  BONNIE  PRINiJE  CEARLIE. 

in  the  wood,  and  was  continually  suggesting  all  sorts  of 
motives  which  might  hare  inspired  the  would-be  assassins. 

Eonald,  who  was  the  reverse  of  quarrelsome  by  disposi- 
tion, laughed  good-temperedly  at  the  various  suggestions; 
but  one  or  two  of  the  senior  officers  remonstrated  sharply 
with  Crawford  as  to  the  extent  to  which  he  carried  his 
gibes. 

"Yon  are  presuming  too  much  on  Leslie's  good-nature, 
Crawford,"  Captain  Campbell  said  one  day.  "If  he  were 
not  one  of  the  best-tempered  young  fellows  going  he 
would  resent  your  constant  attacks  upon  him;  and  yon 
knovir  well  that,  good  swordsman  as  you  are,  you  would 
have  no  chance  whatever  if  he  did  so." 

"I  am  quite  capable  of  managing  my  own  affairs," 
Crawford  said  sullenly,  "and  I  do  not  want  any  advice 
from  you  or  any  other  man." 

"I  am  speaking  to  you  as  the  captain  of  Leslie's  troop," 
Captain  Campbell  said  sharply,  "and  I  do  not  mean  to 
quarrel  with  you.  You  have  had  more  quarrels  than 
enough  in  the  regiment  already,  and  you  know  Colonel 
Hume  said  on  the  last  occasion  that  your  next  quarrel 
should  be  your  last  iu  the  regiment.  I  tell  you  frankly, 
that  if  you  continue  your  course  of  annoyance  to  young 
Leslie  I  shall  report  the  matter  to  the  colonel.  I  have 
noticed  that  you  have  the  good  sense  to  abstain  from  your 
remarks  when  he  j<3  present." 

Three  days  later  the  regiment  joined  the  army  before 
Namur. 

That  evening,  having  drunk  more  deeply  than  usual, 
Lieutenant  Crawford,  after  the  colonel  had  retired  from 
the  circle  round  the  fire  and  gone  to  his  tent,  recommenced 
his  provocation  to  Eonald,  and  pushed  matters  so  far  that 
the  latter  felt  that  he  could  no  longer  treat  it  as  a  jest. 

"Mr.  Crawford,"  he  said,  "I  warn  you  tliat  you  are 
pr-shing  your  remarks  too  far.     On  many  previous  occa- 


BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE.  139 

sions  yon  have  chosen  to  make  observations  which  I  could, 
if  I  had  chosen,  have  resented  as  insulting.  I  did  not 
choose,  fur  I  hate  brawling,  and  consider  that  for  me,  who 
have  but  lately  joined  the  regiment,  to  be  engaged  in  a 
qnarrel  with  an  officer  senior  to  myself  would  be  in  the 
highest  degree  unbecoming;  but  I  am  sore  that  my  fellow- 
officers  will  bear  me  out  in  saying  that  I  have  shown  fully 
as  much  patience  ao  is  becoming.  I,  therefore,  have  to 
tell  you  that  I  will  no  longer  be  your  butt,  and  that  I  shall 
treat  any  further  remark  of  the  nature  of  those  you  have 
just  made  as  a  deliberate  insult,  and  shall  take  measures 
accordingly." 

A  murmur  of  approval  rose  among  the  officers  sitting 
round,  and  those  sitting  near  Crawford  endeavored  to 
quiet  him.  The  wine  which  he  had  taken  had,  however, 
excited  his  quarrelsome  instinct  too  far  for  either  counsel 
or  prudence  to  prevail. 

"I  shall  say  what  1  choose,"  he  said,  rising  to  his  feet. 
"I  am  not  going  to  be  dictated  to  by  any  one,  much  less  a 
boy  who  has  just  joined  the  regiment,  and  who  calls  him- 
self Leslie,  though  no  one  knows  whether  he  has  any  right 
to  the  name." 

"Very  well,  sir,"  Leslie  said  in  a  quiet  tone,  which  was, 
however,  heard  distinctly  throughout  the  circle,  for  at  this 
last  outburst  on  the  part  of  Crawford  a  dead  silence  had 
fallen  on  the  circle,  for  only  one  termination  could  follow 
such  an  insult.  "  Captain  Campbell  will,  I  hope,  act  for 
me?" 

"Certainly,"  Captain  Campbell  said  in  a  loud  voice; 
"and  will  call  upon  any  friend  Lieutenant  Crawford  may 
name  and  make  arrangements  to  settle  this  matter  in  the 
morning." 

"Macleod,  will  you  act  for  me?"  Crawford  said  to  a 
lieutenant  sitting  next  to  him. 

**1  will  act."  the  young  officer  said  coldlv.  "as  your  esc- 


140  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

Olid  in  the  matter;  but  all  here  will  understand  that  I  do 
so  solely  because  it  is  necessary  that  some  one  should  do 
BO,  and  that  I  disapprove  absolutely  and  wholly  of  your 
conduct." 

"  Well,  make  what  arrangements  you  like,"  Crawford 
said  with  an  oath,  and  rising  he  left  the  circle  and  walked 
away. 

When  he  had  left  there  was  an  immediate  discussion. 
Several  of  the  officers  were  of  opinion  that  the  duel  should 
not  be  allowed  to  proceed,  but  that  Crawford's  conduct 
should  be  reported  to  the  colonel. 

"  I  am  entirely  in  your  hands,  gentlemen,"  Konald  said. 
"1  have  no  desire  whatever  to  fight.  This  afifair  has  been 
forced  upon  me,  and  I  have  no  alternative  but  to  take  it 
up.  I  am  not  boasting- when  I  say  that  I  am  afar  better 
swordsman  than  he,  and  I  have  no  need  to  shrink  from 
meeting  him;  but  I  have  certainly  no  desire  whatever  to 
take  his  life.  He  has  drunk  more  than  he  ought  to  do, 
and  if  this  matter  can  be  arranged,  and  he  can  be  persuaded 
in  the  morning  to  express  his  regret  for  what  he  has  said, 
I  shall  be  very  glad  to  accept  his  apology.  If  it  can  be 
settled  in  this  way  without  either  fighting  or  reporting  his 
conduct  to  the  colonel,  which  would  probably  result  in  his 
having  to  leave  the  regiment,  I  should  be  truly  glad — 
What  is  that?"  he  broke  ofP,  as  a  loud  cry  rang  through 
the  air. 

The  whole  party  sprang  to  their  feet,  and  snatching  up 
their  swords  ran  in  the  direction  from  which  the  cry  had 
come.  The  tents  were  at  some  little  distance,  and  just  as 
they  reached  them  they  saw  a  man  lying  on  the  ground. 

"  Good  heavens,  it  is  Crawford !"  Captain  Campbell  said, 
stooping  over  him.  "See,  he  has  been  stabbed  in  the 
back.     It  is  all  over  with  him.     Who  can  have  done  it?" 

He  questioned  several  of  the  soldiers,  who  had  now 
gathered  round,  attracted  like  the  officers  by  the  cry. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  141 

None  of  them  had  seen  the  act  or  had  noticed  any  one 
running  away;  but  in  so  large  a  camp  there  were  so  many 
people  about  that  an  assassin  could  well  have  walked  qui- 
etly away  without  attracting  any  attention. 

The  colonel  was  speedily  on  the  spot,  and  instituted  a 
rigid  inquiry,  but  entirely  without  success.  The  attack 
had  evidently  been  sudden  and  entirely  unsuspected,  for 
Crawford  had  not  drawn  his  sword. 

"It  is  singular,"  he  said,  as  with  the  officers  he  walked 
slowly  back  to  the  fire.  "Crawford  was  not  a  popular 
man,  but  I  cannot  guess  at  any  reason  for  this  murder. 
Strange  that  this  should  be  the  second  attack  made  on  my 
oflBcers  since  we  left  Paris," 

Captain  Campbell  now  related  what  had  taken  place 
after  he  had  left  the  circle. 

"The  matter  should  have  been  rejorted  to  me  at  once," 
he  said;  "although,  as  it  has  turned  out,  it  would  have 
made  no  difference.  Perhaps,  after  all,  it  is  best  as  it  is, 
for  a  duel  between  two  officers  of  the  regiment  would  have 
done  us  no  good,  and  the  man  was  no  credit  to  the  regi- 
ment. But  it  is  a  very  serious  matter  that  we  should  be 
dogged  by  assassins.  Leslie,  come  up  with  me  to  my  tent. 
I  am  not  going  to  blame  you,  lad,"  he  said  when  they  were 
together,  "for  you  could  not  have  acted  otherwise  than 
you  have  done.  Indeed,  I  have  myself  noticed  several 
times  that  Crawford's  bearing  toward  you  was  the  reverse 
of  courteous.  Have  you  any  idea  as  to  how  he  came  by 
his  death?" 

"I,  sir!"  Ronald  said  in  surprise.  "No,  I  know  no 
more  than  the  others." 

"It  strikes  me,  Leslie,  that  this  is  only  the  sequel  of 
that  attack  in  the  wood,  and  that  your  enemies  have  nn- 
"wittiugly  done  yon  a  service.  Crawford  was  very  much 
your  height  and  bui-ld,  and  might  easily  have  been  mis* 


143  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

taken  for  yon  in  the  dark.     1  fancy  that  blow  was  meant 
for  you." 

"It  is  possible,  sir,"  Ronald  said  after  a  pause.  "1  had 
not  thought  of  it;  but  the  likeness  between  him  and  my- 
self has  been  frequently  noticed.  It  is  quite  possible  that 
that  blow  was  meant  for  me." 

"I  have  very  little  doubt  of  it,  ray  lad.  If  any  of  these 
men  were  hanging  about  and  saw  you  as  they  believed 
coming  away  from  the  circle  alone,  they  may  well  have 
taken  the  opportunity.  Let  it  be  a  lesson  to  you  to  be 
careful  henceforth.  It  is  unlikely  that  the  attempt  will 
be  repeated  at  present.  The  men  who  did  it  will  think 
that  they  have  earned  their  money,  and  by  this  time  are 
probably  on  the  way  to  Paris  to  carry  the  news  and  claim 
their  reward.  So  that,  for  a  time  at  least,  it  is  not  proba- 
ble that  there  will  be  any  repetition  of  the  attempt.  After 
that  you  will  have  to  be  on  your  guard  night  and  day. 

"I  wish  to  heaven  we  could  obtain  some  clue  that  would 
enable  me  to  take  steps  in  the  matter;  but  at  present  we 
have  nothing  but  our  suspicions,  and  I  cannot  go  to  the 
king  and  say  three  attempts  have  been  made  on  the  life  of 
one  of  my  officers,  and  that  1  suspect  his  grandfather,  the 
Marquis  de  Recambours,  has  been  the  author  of  them," 

When  Malcolm  heard  the  events  of  the  evening  his 
opinion  was  exactly  the  same  as  that  of  the  colonel,  and 
he  expressed  himself  as  convinced  that  Crawford  had  fallen 
by  a  blow  intended  for  Ronald.  He  agreed  that  for  awhile 
there  was  no  fear  of  a  renewal  of  the  attempt. 

"The  fellows  will  take  the  news  straight  to  Paris  that 
you  have  been  put  out  of  the  way,  and  some  time  will  elapse 
before  the  employers  know  that  a  mistake  has  been  made. 
Then,  as  likely  as  not,  they  will  decide  to  wait  until  tho 
campaign  is  over." 

The  camp  before  Namur  was  a  large  and  brilliant  one. 
Tho  king  and  dauphin  had  already  arrived  with  the  array. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  143 

All  the  honsehold  troops  were  there,  and  a  large  contin- 
gent of  the  nobles  of  the  court.  The  English  army  was 
known  to  be  approaching,  and  was  expected  to  fight  a 
battle  to  relieve  Namur,  which  the  French  were  besieging 
vigorously.  The  French  confidently  hoped  that  in  the 
approaching  battle  they  would  wipe  out  the  reverse  which 
had  befallen  them  at  Dettingen. 


X44  BONNIE  PRINCE  GHABLIR. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

rONTENOY. 

A  FORTNIGHT  after  the  Scottish  dragoons  joined  the 
array  the  king  was  present  at  an  inspection  of  their  regi- 
ment. As  the  brilliant  cortege  passed  along  the  line 
Ronald  saw  among  the  gayly-dressed  throng  of  officers 
riding  behind  the  king  and  Marshal  Saxe  the  Marquis  de 
Recambours  and  the  Duke  de  Chateaurouge  side  by  side. 
Ronald  with  two  other  gentlemen  volunteers  were  in  their 
places  in  the  rear  of  the  regiment.  It  was  drawn  np  in 
double  lino,  and  as  the  royal  i3arty  rode  along  for  the  sec- 
ond time,  Ronald  saw  that  the  two  noblemen  were  looking 
scrutinizingly  through  the  line  of  troopers  at  himself  and 
his  two  companions. 

That  evening  Colonel  Hume  on  his  return  from  a  visit 
to  Marshal  Saxe  told  Ronald  that  the  general  had  inquired 
after  him,  atid  had  sent  him  word  that  if  he  won  the 
battle  he  would  not  forget  the  promise  he  had  made  him. 
He  had  requested  Colonel  Hume  to  place  Ronald  at  his 
disposal  on  the  day  of  battle. 

"'I  shall  want  active  officers  to  carry  my  messages,'  he 
said,  'and  your  young  friend  may  have  a  greater  opportu- 
nity of  distinguishing  himself  than  he  would  with  the 
regiment.  I  should  in  that  case  find  it  all  the  easier  to 
bring  his  business  before  the  king.' 

"  The  marshal  is  terribly  ill,"  Colonel  Hume  said  as  he 
reported  the  conversation  to  Ronald,  "so  ill  that  he  can 
only  occasionally  sit  on  his  horse.     Kothing  but  his  indom- 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  145 

liable  courage  sustains  liim.  He  is  drawn  about  in  a  light 
carriage  made  of  basket-work,  and  this  serves  him  also  for 
his  bed." 

On  the  7th  of  May  the  enemy  were  known  to  be  close  at 
hand,  and  the  French  selected  the  position  on  which  they 
would  fight.  The  village  of  Fontenoy  had  already  been 
occupied  by  a  strong  body  of  troops  under  Marshal  Noailles 
and  the  rest  of  the  army  now  moved  forward  to  the  posts 
allotted  to  them.  The  English  army  were  close  at  hand, 
and  it  was  certain  that  the  battle  would  be  fought  on  the 
morrow.  In  the  evening  the  king  held  a  grand  reception 
at  which  all  the  officers  of  rank  were  present.  When 
Colonel  Hume  returned  to  his  camp  his  officers  were  still 
sitting  round  the  fire. 

"Have  you  any  news  for  us,  sir?" 

"No;  I  believe  everything  stands  as  was  arranged.  The 
king  is  in  the  highest  spirits,  though  I  must  siiy  his  maj- 
esty did  not  choose  reminiscences  cf  a  nature  to  encourage 
those  who  heard  him.  He  remarked,  for  instance,  that 
since  the  days  of  St.  Louis  the  French  had  never  gained  a 
decisive  success  over  the  English,  and  a  few  minutes  later 
he  observed  that  the  last  time  a  king  of  France  with  his 
son  had  fought  at  the  head  of  the  French  army  was  at  the 
battle  of  Poitiers." 

There  was  a  general  laugh. 

"  Certainly  the  king  was  not  happy  with  his  reminis- 
cences," Major  Munro  remarked;  "but  I  think  this  time 
the  tables  are  going  to  be  turned.  In  the  first  place  we 
considerably  outnumber  the  enemy,  even  after  leaving 
15,000  men  to  continue  the  siege.  In  the  second  place, 
the  position  we  have  chosen  is  almost  impregnable.  The 
Scheldt  covers  our  right,  with  the  fortified  bridge  securing, 
our  communication,  and  the  village  of  Antoin  resting  on 
the  river.  Along  our  front  from  Antoin  to  Fontenoy  is  a 
narrow  and  difficult  valley.     Oar  left  is  covered  by  the 


148  BONNIE  PRTNCE  CEARLBIE. 

wood  of  Barre,  where  a  strong  redoubt  has  been  constrncted 
and  the  whole  of  the  position  is  fortified  with  breastworks 
and  abattis  as  far  as  Fontenoy.  Between  that  village  and 
Barre  the  natural  difficulties  are  so  great  that  field-works 
are  unnecessary.  I  cannot  believe  myself  that  they  will 
attack  us  in  such  a  position,  especially  as  nearly  half  their 
army  are  Dutch,  who  will  count  for  little.  The  Euglish 
are  the  only  troops  which  we  shall  find  formidable." 

Before  daybreak  the  camp  was  astir,  and  the  troops  tcck 
the  positions  assigned  to  them.  Even  now  it  was  hardly 
believed  that  an  attack  would  be  made  by  the  enemy  so 
long  as  the  French  remained  in  their  all  but  impregnable 
position;  but  presently  the  columns  of  the  enemy  were 
seen  advancing.  Konald  had  ridden  up  to  the  litter  on 
which  Marshal  Saxe  was  placed,  and  after  saluting,  had 
taken  up  his  position  with  a  number  of  other  officers,  in 
readiness  to  carry  orders  to  different  parts  of  the  field. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  marshal  the  King  of  France 
with  the  dauphin  and  the  brilliant  cort^ige  of  nobles  had 
taken  up  his  post.  From  the  position  in  which  the  mar- 
shal had  caused  himself  to  be  placed  a  complete  view  of 
the  enemy's  approaching  ranks  was  obtained.  It  could 
soon  be  seen  that  the  Dutch  troops,  who  on  the  English 
right  were  advancing  to  the  attack,  Avere  moving  against 
the  villages  of  Antoin  and  Fontenoy.  A  strong  force, 
headed,  as  was  known  afterward,  by  General  Ingoldsby, 
moved  toward  the  wood  of  Barre;  while  a  solid  column  of 
English  and  Hanoverians,  ten  thousand  strong,  marched 
forward  to  the  attack  across  the  broken  ground  between 
Fontenoy  and  the  wood  of  Barre. 

It  was  as  yet  but  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  the 
cannon  broke  out  into  a  roar  on  both  sides.  The  Dutch, 
who  were  commanded  by  the  Prince  of  Waldeck,  soon  hes- 
itated, and  in  a  short  time  fell  back  out  of  range  of  fire. 
On  the  English  right  General  Ingoldsby  penetrated  some 


BONNIE  PIllNGE  CHARLIE.  147 

distance  into  the  wood  of  Barre,  and  then  fell  back  again 
as  the  Dutch  had  done.  In  an  hour  after  the  fighting 
had  commenced  the  right  and  left  of  the  allied  army  had 
ceased  their  attack.  There  remained  only  the  center,  but 
this  was  advancing. 

Under  the  command  of  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  the 
column  crossed  the  ravine  in  front  of  Fontenoy.  The 
ground  was  so  broken  that  the  troops  were  unable  to  de- 
ploy, but  moved  forward  in  a  solid  mass  with  a  front  of 
only  forty  men. 

The  French  batteries  from  the  right  and  left  mowed 
them  down  in  lines,  but  as  steadily  as  if  on  parade  the 
places  were  filled  np,  and  unshaken  and  calm  the  great 
column  moved  forward.  The  caanon  which  they  dragged 
along  by  hand  opened  against  Fontenoy  and  the  redoubts, 
and  as,  in  spite  of  the  hail  of  fire,  they  pressed  steadily  on, 
the  French  gunners  were  obliged  to  abandon  their  cannon 
and  fly. 

The  regiment  of  French  guards,  officered  almost  entirely 
by  the  highest  nobles,  met  the  English  guards,  who  com- 
posed the  front  lines  of  the  column.  A  tremendous  volley 
flashed  along  the  English  line,  shattering  the  ranks  of  the 
French  guard.  There  was  a  moment's  fierce  fighting,  and 
then  the  English  column  swept  from  before  it  the  remains 
of  the  French  guard,  and  cleared  the  ravine  which  defended 
Fontenoy. 

Eonald  felt  his  heart  beat  with  excitement  and  a  feeling 
of  pride  and  admiration  as  he  saw  the  English  advancing 
unmoved  through  the  storm  of  fire.  They  advanced  in 
the  most  perfect  order.  The  sergeants  calmly  raised  or 
depressed  the  soldiers'  muskets  to  direct  the  fire;  each 
vacant  place  was  filled  quietly  and  regularly  without  hesi- 
tation or  hurry;  and  exclamations  of  surprise  and  admira- 
tion broke  even  from  tlie  French  officers. 

Eegiment  after  regiment  was  brought  up  and  hurled 


148  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

against  the  head  of  the  column,  but  with  no  more  effect 
than  waves  against  a  rock,  each  being  dashed  aside  shat- 
tered and  broken  by  the  steady  volleys  and  regular  lines  of 
bayonets.  Ronald  and  other  officers  were  sent  oif  to  bring 
up  the  cavalry,  but  in  vain  did  these  strive  to  break  the 
serried  column.  One  regiment  after  another  charged  down 
upon  it,  but  the  English,  retaining  their  fire  until  they 
were  within  a  few  yards  of  their  muzzles,  received  them 
with  such  tremendous  volleys  that  they  recoiled  in  disorder. 

The  French  regiment  of  Vaisseaux  next  advanced  to  the 
attack,  and  fought  with  greater  gallantry  than  any  which 
had  preceded  it;  but  at  last,  when  almost  annihilated, 
its  survivors  fell  back.  And  now  it  seemed  as  if  this  ten 
thousand  men  were  to  be  victorious  over  the  whole  French 
army.  Marshal  Saxe  begged  the  king  to  retire  with  the  dau- 
phin across  the  bridge  of  Calonue  while  he  did  what  he  could 
to  retrieve  the  battle,  but  the  king  refused  to  leave  the  field. 
There  was  a  hurried  council  held  round  Louis,  and  it  was 
agreed  to  make  a  great  effort  by  calling  up  the  whole  of 
the  troops  between  Fontenoy  and  Autoin,  as  the  positions 
they  held  were  no  longer  threatened  by  the  Dutch. 

Had  the  latter  now  advanced  nothing  could  have  saved 
the  French  army  from  utter  defeat;  but  they  remained 
immovable  at  a  distance  from  the  field  of  battle.  The 
English  had  now  won  the  crown  of  the  position,  had  cut 
through  the  French  center,  and  were  moving  forward 
toward  the  bridge  of  Caloune,  when  the  whole  of  the 
French  artillery,  which  had,  by  the  advice  of  the  Duke  of 
Richelieu,  been  brought  up,  opened  fire  on  the  English 
column.  At  the  same  moment  the  French  regiments  from 
Antoin  fell  upon  it;  while  Marshal  Saxe,  who  had,  when 
the  danger  became  imminent,  mounted  his  horse,  himself 
brought  up  the  Irish  Brigade,  who,  with  a  wild  yell  of 
]iatred,  flung  itself  furiously  upon  the  flank  of  the  English. 

Attacked  thus  on  all  sides,  mown  down  by  a  heavy  fire 


BONNIE  PRINGF  CHARLIE.  14^ 

of  artillery,  unsiipported  amid  an  army  of  foes  the  colnmn 
could  do  no  more.  Ten  thousand  men  could  not  withstand 
fifty  thousand.  Their  ranks  were  twice  broken  by  the 
Irish,  but  twice  their  otficers  rallied  them;  until  at  last, 
when  it  became  evident  that  no  more  could  be  done,  the 
colnmn  fell  slowly  back  in  an  order  as  perfect  and  regular 
as  that  in  which  it  had  advanced. 

French  historians  have  done  ample  justice  to  the  ex- 
traordinary valor  shown  by  the  English  troops  on  this 
occasion,  a  valor  never  surpassed  in  the  long  annals  of  the 
British  army.  Had  they  received  the  slightest  assistance 
from  their  cowardly  allies  the  victory  must  have  been 
theirs.  As  it  was,  although  unsuccessful,  the  glory  and 
honor  of  the  day  rested  with  them,  rather  than  with  the 
victorious  army  of  France.  More  than  half  the  colnmn 
had  fallen  in  the  desperate  engagement,  but  the  loss  of  the 
victors  was  even  greater,  and  comprised  many  belonging  to 
the  noblest  families  of  France. 

Konald  had  won  the  warm  approval  of  Marshal  Saxe  for 
the  manner  in  which  he  carried  his  orders  across  ground 
swept  by  a  heavy  fire,  and  brought  up  the  regiments  to 
within  close  quarters  of  the  English;  and  after  the  battle 
was  over  Marshal  Saxe  presented  to  the  king  several  of  his 
staff  who  had  most  distinguished  themselves,  and  calling 
tip  Ronald,  who  was  standing  near,  for  his  horse  had  been 
shot  under  him  as  he  rode  by  the  side  of  the  marshal  with 
the  Irish  Brigade  to  the  attack,  the  marshal  said: 

"Allow  me  to  present  to  your  majesty  Ronald  Leslie,  a 
young  Scottish  gentleman  of  good  family,  who  is  a  volun- 
teer in  the  Scottish  Dragoons,  and  has  rendered  great 
service  to-day  by  the  manner  in  v.'hich  he  has  borne  my 
orders  through  the  thickest  of  the  fire." 

"I  will  bear  you  in  mind,  young  gentleman,"  the  king 
paid  graciously,  "and  I  charge  the  marshal  to  bring  your 
name  before  me  on  a  future  day." 


150  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

His  duty  as  aide-de-camp  over  Eonald  rejoined  his  regi- 
ment. They  had  lost  nearly  a  third  of  their  number  in 
their  charges  upon  the  English  column.  Major  Munro 
had  been  killed,  the  colonel  severely  wounded,  and  a  num- 
ber of  officers  had  fallen.  Eonald  went  about  among  the 
men  assisting  to  bind  up  wounds,  and  supplying  those  who 
needed  it  with  wine  and  other  refreshments.  Presently 
lie  was  joined  by  Malcolm. 

"Thank  God  you  are  safe,  Eonald.  I  tell  you  you  have 
given  me  many  a  fright  to-day  as  I  watched  you  galloping 
along  through  the  line  of  the  English  fire." 

"Where  v/ere  you,  Malcolm?     I  did  not  see  you." 

"I  liad  nothing  to  do,"  Malcolm  said,  "and  so  I  climbed 
a  tree  not  fifty  yards  from  the  marshal's  litter,  and  keep- 
ing the  trunk  in  front  of  me  to  protect  me  from  a  stray 
bullet  I  had  a  good  view  of  the  whole  proceedings.  At 
one  time  1  was  on  the  point  of  slipping  down  and  making 
a  bolt  for  it,  for  1  thought  it  was  all  over  with  us.  How 
that  column  did  fight!  I  have  been  in  many  a  battle,  bu'; 
I  never  saw  anything  like  it,  it  was  grand ;  and  if  it  hadn''; 
been  for  the  Irish  Brigade,  I  think  that  they  would  have 
beaten  the  whole  FrencE  array.  But  if  you  go  into  ?, 
battle  again  I  sha'u't  come  to  see  you.  I  have  done  m7 
share  of  fighting,  and  can  take  hard  knocks  as  well  aa 
another;  but  I  would  not  go  through  the  anxiety  I  have 
suffered  to-day  about  you  on  any  condition.  However, 
this  has  been  a  great  day  for  you." 

"You  mean  about  the  marshal  presenting  me  to  tho 
king?     Yes,  that  ought  to  help  us." 

"No,  I  didn't  mean  that,  for  I  had  not  heard  of  it.  I 
mean  about  that  old  rascal  your  grandfather,  the  Marquis 
de  Eecambours." 

"  What  about  him?     I  have  not  heard." 

"No!"  Malcolm  exclaimed;  "then  I  have  good  news  for 
you.     A  ball  from  one  of  the  English  field  pieces  struck 


*'Kis  Majesty's  commands  shall  be  obeyed,"  said  the  abbess.— Page  174. 

—Bonnie  Frince  Charlie. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  151 

him  full  in  the  chest,  and  of  course  slew  him  instantly. 
He  was  not  thirty  yards  from  the  tree  when  I  saw  him 
knocked  over.  He  is  quite  dead  I  can  assure  yon,  for 
when  the  others  moved  oS  I  took  the  trouble  to  clamber 
down  to  assure  myself.  So  now  the  greatest  obstacle  to 
the  release  of  your  father  and  mother  is  out  of  the  way." 

"Thank  God  for  that!"  Eonald  said.  "I  have  no  rea- 
son for  feeling  one  spark  of  regret  at  what  has  befallen 
him.  He  was  the  cruel  persecutor  of  my  parents,  and  did 
his  best  to  get  me  removed.  There  is  but  one  obstacle 
now  to  obtaining  my  father's  release,  and  as  he  is  neither 
a  relation  nor  an  old  man  I  shall  be  able  to  deal  with  him 
myself." 

"Yes,  but  you  must  be  careful,  Ronald;  remember  the 
decree  against  dueling.  We  must  not  make  a  false  step 
now,  when  fortune  is  at  last  favoring  us.  There  will  be 
no  more  fighting,  I  fancy.  The  English  will  certainly  not 
attack  us  again,  and  Tournay  must  fall,  and  I  don't  think 
that  on  our  part  there  will  be  any  desire  whatever  to  go 
out  of  our  way  to  seek  another  engagement  with  them. 
The  king  is  sure  to  go  back  to  Paris  at  once,  where  he 
will  be  received  with  enthusiasm.  Marshal  Saxe  will 
probably  follow  as  soon  as  Tournay  has  fallen.  I  should 
advise  you,  therefore,  to  get  leave  from  the  colonel  to  be 
absent  from  the  regiment  for  a  time,  and  we  will  make 
our  way  down  to  Tours  and  let  your  mother  know  that 
the  marquis  is  dead,  and  get  her  to  write  a  memorial  to 
the  king  requesting  permission  to  leave  the  convent,  and 
then  when  the  marshal  arrives  in  Paris  we  will  get  him  to 
present  it." 

Ronald  agreed  to  Maicolm's  proposal,  and  the  next 
morning,  having  obtained  leave  of  absence  from  the  colo- 
nel, he  and  Malcolm  mounted  and  rode  for  Tours. 

The  message  was  duly  conveyed  to  the  countess  by 
Jeanne,  together  with  Ronald's  earnest  request  that  his 


^g^  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

mother  would  again  meet  him.  She  sent  back  by  Jeanne 
the  memorial  he  had  asked  her  to  write  to  the  king,  beg- 
ging that  she  might  be  allowed  to  leave  the  convent;  but 
she  refused  to  agree  to  his  wishes  to  meet  her,  bidding 
Jeanne  say  that  now  it  seemed  tliere  was  really  a  hope  of 
her  release  shortly,  she  would  less  than  ever  risk  any  step 
■which  if  discovered  might  prejudice  their  plans. 

Although  disappointed,  Eouald  could  not  deny  that  her 
decision  was  a  wise  one  and  therefore  contented  himself  by 
sending  word  that  he  had  obtained  one  very  powerful 
friend  and  that  he  hoped  that  she  would  ere  long  receive 
good  tidings.  After  a  short  stay  at  Tours  Eonald  and 
Malcolm  returned  to  Paris,  where  a  series  of  brilliant  fetes 
in  honor  of  the  victory  of  Fontenoy  were  in  preparation. 
Tnurnay  had  surrendered  a  few  days  after  the  battle,  the 
governor  of  that  town  having  accepted  a  heavy  bribe  to 
open  the  gates,  for  the  place  could  have  resisted  for  months, 
and  the  allied  army  v/ere  ready  to  recommence  hostilities 
in  order  to  relieve  it. 

After  its  surrender  they  fell  back  and  resumed  a  defen- 
sive attitude.  The  king  therefore  returned  at  once  to 
Paris,  and  Marshal  Saxe,  handing  over  the  command  of 
the  army  to  Marshal  de  Noailles,  followed  him  by  easy 
stages.  Del  igh  ted  .  aboye_all_  thin^at  a_snccess_^nngid 
over  the  EnglTsli,  who  had  for  centuries  been  victorious  in 
every  battle  in  which  JEngland  and  France  had  mei~as 
eneniies,  the  citizens  of  Paris  organized  a  succession  of 
brilliant  fetes,  which  were  responded  to  by  entertainments 
01  all  kinds  at  Versailles.  The  Scottish  Dragoons  were 
still  at  the  front;  bnt  Colonel  Hume  had  been  brought  to 
Paris,  as  it  would  be  some  time  ere  he  v;onld  be  able  again 
to  take  the  command  of  the  regiment.  Eonald  called  at 
the  house  where  the  colonel  lodged,  upon  the  day  after  his 
return  from  Tours,  and  found  that  he  had  arrived  upon 
tbe  previous  day.     Ronald  was  at  once  shown  up  on  send- 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARMW.  153 

iiig  in  his  name.     The  colonel  was  lying  on  the  couch 
when  he  entered. 

"How  are  yon,  colonel?" 

"I  ara  going  on  as  well  as  possible,  Ronald;  they  found 
the  ball  and  got  it  out  the  day  before  I  left  the  regiment, 
and  I  shall  do  well  now.  I  have  been  carried  on  a  litter 
all  the  way  by  eight  of  our  troopers,  and  the  good  fellows 
were  as  gentle  with  me  as  if  I  had  been  a  child,  and  I 
scarce  felt  a  jar  the  whole  distance.  What  I  have  got  to 
do  now  is  to  lie  quiet,  and  the  doctor  promises  me  that  in 
six  weeks'  time  I  shall  be  fit  to  mount  a  horse  again. 
Marshal  Saxe  sent  yesterday  evening  to  inquire  after  me, 
and  I  will  send  you  to  him  to  thank  him  for  so  sending, 
and  to  inquire  on  my  part  how  he  himself  is  going  on. 
My  message  will  be  a  good  excuse  for  your  presenting 
yourself." 

Ronald  found  tlie  antechamber  of  the  marshal  crowded 
with  nobles  and  otiicers  who  had  come  to  pay  their  respects 
to  the  victorious  general,  who  was,  next  to  the  king  him- 
self, at  that  moment  the  most  popular  man  in  France. 
Hitherto,  as  a  Protestant  and  a  foreigner,  Maurice  of  Sax- 
ony had  been  regarded  by  many  with  jealousy  and  dislike; 
but  the  victory  Virhicli  he  had  won  for  the  French  arms 
had  for  the  time  obliterated  every  feeling  save  admiration 
and  gratitude. 

Presently  the  marshal  came  out  from  the  inner  room 
with  the  dauphin,  who  had  called  on  the  part  of  the  king 
to  inquire  after  his  health.  He  was  now  able  to  walk,  the 
excitement  of  the  battle  and  the  satisfaction  of  the  victory 
having  enabled  him  partially  to  shake  otf  the  disease  which 
affiicted  him.  After  the  dauphin  had  left  the  marshal 
moAQ  the  tour  of  the  apartment,  exchanging  a  few  words 
v/ith  all  present. 

"Ah!  you  are  there,  my  young  Leslie,"  he  said  famil- 
iarly when  he  came  to  Ronald.     "  Where  have  you  been? 


154  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

I  have  not  seen  yon  since  the  day  when  yon  galloped  abont 
•with  my  messages  through  the  English  fire  as  if  you  had  a 
charmed  life." 

"Colonel  Hume  gave  me  leave,  sir,  to  travel  on  private 
business.  I  am  now  the  bearer  of  a  message  from  him, 
thanking  you  for  your  kind  inquiries  as  to  his  wound;  he 
bids  me  say  that  he  trusts  that  your  own  health  is  rapidly 
recovering." 

"As  you  see,  Leslie,  Fontenoy  has  done  wonders  for  me 
as  well  as  for  France;  but  wait  here,  I  will  speak  with  you 
again." 

In  half  an  hour  most  of  the  callers  took  their  departure, 
then  the  marshal  called  Ronald  into  an  inner  room. 

"To-morrow,"  he  said,  "I  am  going  to  pay  my  respects 
to  the  king  at  Versailles.  I  will  take  you  with  me.  Have 
you  your  mother's  memorial?  That  is  right.  As  her 
father  was  killed  at  Fontenoy  there  will,  I  hope,  be  the 
less  difficulty  over  the  matter;  but  we  must  not  be  too 
sanguine,  for  there  will  be  a  host  of  hungry  competitors 
for  the  estates  of  the  marquis,  and  all  these  will  unite 
against  you.  However,  I  do  not  think  the  king  will  be 
able  to  refuse  my  first  request,  and  when  your  mother  is 
out  we  must  put  our  heads  together  and  see  about  getting 
your  father's  release." 

Ronald  expressed  his  deep  gratitude  at  the  marshal's 
kindness. 

"Say  nothing  about  it,  my  lad.  Fortunately  I  want 
nothing  for  myself,  and  it  is  no  nse  being  a  victorious 
general  if  one  cannot  utilize  it  in  some  way;  so  I  am  quite 
glad  to  have  something  to  ask  the  king." 

The  next  day  Ronald  presented  himself  at  the  hotel  of 
Marshal  Saxe  ani  rode  by  the  side  of  his  carriage  out  to 
Versailles.  The  king,  surrounded  by  a  brilliant  train  of 
courtiers,  received  the  marshal  with  the  greatest  warmth, 
and  after  talking  to  him  for  some  time  retired  with  him 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  155 

into  his  private  closet..  A  few  minutes  later  one  of  the 
royal  pages  came  out  into  the  audience-chamber  and  said 
in  a  loud  voice  that  the  king  desired  the  presence  of  Mon- 
sieur Konald  Leslie. 

Greatly  embarrassed  at  finding  himself  the  center  of 
observation  not  unmiugled  with  envy  at  the  summons, 
Ronald  followed  the  page  into  the  presence  of  the  king, 
who  was  alone  with  Marshal  Saxe.  Louis,  who  was  in 
high  good  humor,  gave  Eouald  his  hand  to  kiss,  saying: 

"I  told  the  marshal  to  recall  your  name  to  me,  and  he 
has  done  so  now.  He  says  that  you  have  a  boon  to  ask  of 
me." 

"Yes,  sire,"  the  marshal  said;  "and  please  consider 
graciously  that  it  is  I  who  ask  it  as  well  as  he.  Your 
majesty  has  always  been  gracious  to  me,  and  if  you  think 
me  deserving  of  any  mark  of  your  favor  after  this  success 
which  your  majesty  and  I  have  gained  together,  I  would 
now  crave  that  you  grant  it." 

"It  is  granted  before  you  name  it,  marshal,"  the  king 
said.  "I  give  you  my  royal  word  that  whatever  be  your 
boon,  provided  that  it  be  within  the  bounds  of  possibility, 
it  is  yours." 

"Then,  sire,  I  ask  that  an  old  comrade  and  fellow  soldier 
of  mine,  who  fought  bravely  for  your  majesty,  but  who 
fell  under  your  majesty's  displeasure  many  years  ago  on 
account  of  a  marriage  which  he  made  contrary  to  your 
pleasure,  may  be  released.  He  has  now  been  over  sixteen 
years  in  prison,  and  has  therefore  paid  dearly  for  thwarting 
your  will,  and  his  wife  has  all  this  time  been  confined  in  a 
convent.  They  are  the  father  and  mother  of  this  brave 
lad — Colonel  Leslie,  who  commanded  your  majesty's  regi- 
ment of  Scotch  Dragoons,  and  his  wife,  the  Countess 
Amelie  of  Becambours.  I  ask  your  majesty,  as  my  boon, 
that  you  will  order  this  officer  to  be  released  and  the  lady 
to  be  allowed  to  leave  the  convent." 


156  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"Peste,  marslial !"  the  king  said  good-temperedly;  "your 
request  is  one  which  will  get  me  into  hot  water  with  a 
score  of  people.  From  the  day  the  marquis  was  killed  at 
Fontenoy  I  have  heard  of  nothing  but  questions  about  his 
estates,  and  I  believe  that  no  small  portion  of  them  have 
been  already  promised." 

"I  say  nothing  about  the  estates,"  the  marshal  replied; 
"as  to  that  your  majesty's  sense  of  justice  is  too  well 
known  for  it  to  be  necessary  for  me  to  say  a  single  word. 
The  countess  has  estates  of  her  own,  which  she  inlierited 
from  her  mother,  but  even  as  to  these  I  say  nothing.  It 
is  her  liberty  and  that  of  her  husband  -which  I  and  this 
brave  lad  ask  of  your  majesty." 

"It  is  granted,  marshal,  and  had  your  boon  been  a  great 
one  instead  of  a  small  one  I  would  have  granted  it  as 
freely ;"  and  the  king  again  held  out  his  hand  to  Ronald,  who 
bsnt  on  one  knee  to  ki^is  it,  tears  of  joy  flowing  down  his 
cheeks  and  preventing  the  utterance  of  any  audible  thanks 
for  the  boon,  which  far  surpassed  his  expectations;  for  the 
marshal  had  said  nothing  as  to  his  intention  of  asking  for 
his  father's  freedom,  which  indeed  he  only  decided  to  do 
upon  seeing  in  how  favorable  a  disposition  he  had  found 
the  king. 

"You  see,  marshal,"  Loois  went  on,  "marriages  like 
this  must  be  sternly  discouraged,  or  all  order  in  our  king- 
dom would  be  done  away  with.  Y/illful  girls  and  head- 
Btrong  soldiers  cannot  be  permitted  to  arrange  their  affairs 
without  reference  to  the  plans  of  their  parents,  and  in  this 
instance  it  happened  that  the  father's  plans  had  received 
cur  approval.  The  great  estates  of  France  cannot  be 
handed  over  to  the  first  comer,  who  may  perhaps  be  utterly 
unworthy  of  them.  I  do  not  say  that  in  the  present  casa 
Colonel  Leslie  was  in  any  way  personally  unworthy;  but 
the  disposal  of  the  hands  of  the  great  heiresses  of  France 
is  in  the  king's  gift,  and  those  who  cross  him  are  rebels 
against  his  authority." 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  157 

The  king  touched  a  bell  and  bade  the  page  who  entered 
order  his  secretary  to  attend  at  once. 

"Search  the  register  of  the  state  prisons,"  he  said,  "*and 
tell  me  where  Colonel  Leslie,  who  was  arrested  by  our 
orders  sixteen  years  ago,  is  confined,  and  then  make  out 
an  order  to  the  governor  of  his.prison  for  his  release;  also 
draw  up  an  order  upon  the  lady  superior  of — "  and  he 
paused. 

"The  convent  of  Our  Lady  at  Tours,"  Eonald  ventured 
to  put  in. 

"Oh!  you  have  discovered  that,  eh?"  the  king  said  with 
a  smile;  and  then  turned  again  to  the  secretary — "bidding 
her  suffer  the  Countess  Amelio  de  Recambours  to  leave 
the  convent  and  to  proceed  where  she  will." 

The  secretary  bov/ed  and  retired.  Ronald,  seeing  that 
his  own  presenceswas  no  longer  required,  said  a  few  words 
of  deep  gratitude  to  the  king  and  retired  to  the  audience- 
room,  where  he  remained  until,  ten  minutes  later,  the 
door  of  the  king's  closet  opened,  and  the  king  and  Marshal 
Saxe  again  appeared.  The  audience  lasted  for  another 
half-hour,  and  then  the  marshal,  accompanied  by  many  of 
the  nobles,  made  his  way  dowji  to  his  carriage.  .  Ronald 
again  mounted,  and  as  soon  as  the  carriage  had  left  the 
great  courtyard  of  the  palace,  rode  up  alongside  and  poured 
out  his  gratitude  to  the  marshal. 

"It  has  been  another  Fontenoy,"  the  marshal  said,  smil- 
ing. "Here  are  the  two  orders,  the  one  for  Tours,  the 
other  for  the  governor  of  the  royal  castle  at  Blois.  The 
king  made  light  of  it;  but  I  know  his  manner  so  well  that 
I  could  see  he  would  rather  that  I  had  asked  for  a  duke- 
dom for  you.  It  is  not  often  that  kings  are  thwarted,  and 
he  regards  your  parents  as  being  rebels  against  his  author- 
ity. However,  he  was  bound  by  his  promise,  and  there 
are  the  papers.  Kow,  only  one  word,  Leslie.  Do  not 
iiidulge  in  any  hopes  that  you  will  see  your  father  more 


15S  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

than  a  shadow  of  the  stalwart  soldier  that  he  was  sixteen 
yeu'S  ago.  There  are  few  men,  indeed,  whose  constitutions 
enable  them  to  live  through  sixteen  years'  confinement  in 
a  state  prison.  Therefore  prepare  yourself  to  find  him  a 
mere  wreck.  I  trust  that  freedom  and  your  mother's  care 
may  do  much  for  him,  but  don't  expect  too  much  at  first. 
If  you  take  my  advice  you  will  go  first  and  fetch  your 
mother,  in  order  that  she  may  be  at  hand  to  receive  your 
father  when  he  leaves  the  fortress.  By  the  way,  1  thought 
it  just  as  well  not  to  produce  your  mother's  memorial,  as 
it  seemed  that  we  should  be  able  to  do  without  it,  for  it 
might  have  struck  the  king  to  ask  how  yon  obtained  it, 
and  he  would  probably  have  considered  that  your  commu- 
nication with  your  mother  was  a  fresh  act  of  defiance 
against  his  authority." 

Malcolm  was  wild  with  joy  when  Ronald  returned  with 
the  account  of  his  interview  with  the  king  and  its  success- 
ful result,  and  had  his  not  been  a  seasoned  head  the  num- 
ber'of  bumpers  which  he  drank  that  night  in  honor  of 
Marshal  Saxe  would  have  rendered  him  unfit  for  travel  ia 
the  morning.  Ronald  had,  after  acquainting  him  with 
the  news,  gone  to  Colonel  Hume,  whose  pleasure  at  hear- 
ing that  his  former  colonel  and  comrade  was  to  regain  his 
freedom  was  ucbounded.  Every  preparation  was  made 
for  an  early  start. 

"Be  sure  you  look  well  to  the  priming  of  your  pistols 
before  you  put  them  in  your  holsters  to-morrow,"  Malcolm 


"Do  you  think  it  will  be  necessary?" 

"I  am  sure  of  it,  Ronald.  News  travels  fast;  anof  you 
may  be  sure  that  by  this  time  the  fact  that  the  king  has 
granted  an  order  for  the  release  of  your  father  and  mother 
is  known  to  the  Duke  of  Cbateaurouge.  If  he  did  not; 
liear  it  from  the  king  himself,  which  he  would  be  raor;iJ 
Inkely  to  do,  as  Louis  would  probably  lose  no  time  m  ^x^ 


BONNIE  PRINOE  OHARLIE.  159 

plainiDg  to  him  that  he  had  only  gone  against  his  wishes 
because  under  the  circumstances  it  was  impossible  for  him 
to  refuse  the  marshal's  request,  the  secretary  who  drew 
out  the  document  would,  no  doubt,  let  the  duke  know  of 
it.     There  are  no  secrets  at  court." 

"But  now  that  the  orders  for  release  have  been  granted," 
Ronald  said,  "the  duke  can  have  no  motive  in  preventing 
them  being  delivered,  for  fresh  ones  could,  of  course,  be 
obtained." 

"In  the  first  place,  Ronald,  the  dnke  will  be  so  furions 
at  your  success  that  he  will  stick  at  nothing  to  have  his 
revenge;  in  the  second  place,  he  and  the  others,  for  there 
are  many  interested  in  preventing  your  mother  from  com- 
ing into  her  father's  possessions,  will  consider  that  the 
gain  of  time  goes  for  a  good  deal.  You  are  the  mover  in 
the  matter.  Were  you  out  of  the  way,  and  the  documents 
destroyed,  the  matter  might  rest  as  it  is  for  a  long  time. 
The  marshal  is  busy  from  morning  till  night,  and  would 
be  long  before  he  missed  yon,  and  would  naturally  suppose 
that  you  had,  after  obtaining  the  release  of  your  parents, 
retired  with  them  to  some  country  retreat,  or  even  left  the 
kingdom. 

"  This  would  give  ample  time  for  working  upon  Louis. 
Besides,  the  king  might  never  inquire  whether  the  pris- 
oners had  been  released.  Then  the  marshal  might  die  or 
be  sent  away  to  the  frontier.  Therefore,  as  you  see,  time 
is  everything.  I  tell  you,  Ronald,  I  consider  the  Journey 
you  are  going  to  undertake  to-morrow  an  affair  of  greater 
danger  than  going  into  a  pitched  battle.  You  will  have  to 
doubt  every  one  you  meet  on  the  road,  the  people  at  the 
inns  you  stop  at — you  may  be  attacked  anywhere  and 
everywhere.  As  to  our  traveling  by  the  direct  road,  I 
look  upon  it  as  impossible.  Our  only  chance  is  to  throw 
them  off  the  scent,  and  as  they  know  our  destination  that 
will  be  no  easy  matter." 


160  BONNIE  PRINCE  OHARLIE. 

They  were  astir  by  daylight,  and  Malcolm  soon  brongM 
the  horses  ronnd  to  the  door. 

"  It's  a  comfort  to  know,"  he  said,  "  that  the  horses  have 
passed  the  night  in  the  barracks,  and  that  therefore  they 
have  not  been  tampered  with.  Look  well  to  the  buckles 
of  your  girths,  Eonald.  See  that  everything  is  strong  and 
in  good  order." 

"That  is  not  yonr  own  horse,  Malcolm,  is  it?" 

"No,  it  is  one  of  the  trooper's.  It  is  one  of  the  best  in 
the  regiment,  and  I  persuaded  the  man  to  change  with  mo 
for  a  week.  No  one  is  likely  to  notice  the  difference,  as 
they  are  as  nearly  as  possible  the  same  color.  Your  horso 
13  good  enough  for  anything;  but  if  I  could  not  keep  np 
with  you  its  speed  would  be  useless.  Now,  I  think,  we 
can  keep  together  if  we  have  to  ride  for  it." 

"Vv^hat  have  you  got  in  that  valise,  Malcolm?  One 
would  think  that  you  were  going  upon  a  campaign." 

"I  have  got  four  bottles  of  good  wine,  and  bread  and 
meat  enough  to  last  us  for  two  days.  I  do  not  mean,  if  I 
can  help  it,  to  enter  a  shop  or  stop  at  an  inn  till  we  arrive 
at  Tours.  We  can  make  a  shift  to  sleep  for  to-night  in  a 
wood.  It  would  be  safer  a  thousand  times  than  an  inn, 
for  1  will  bet  fifty  to  one  that  if  we  ventured  to  enter  one 
we  should  find  one  or  both  of  our  horses  lame  on  starting 
again." 

"Oh  come,  Malcolm,  that's  too  much!  The  Duke  of 
Chateaurouge  is  not  ubiquitous.  He  has  not  an  army  to 
scatter  over  all  France." 

"No,  he  has  not,"  Malcolm  agreed;  "but  from  what  I 
know  of  him  I  doubt  not  that  he  can  lay  his  hands  on  a 
number  of  men  who  will  stick  at  nothing  to  carry  out  his 
orders  and  earn  his  money.  Paris  swarms  with  discharged 
soldiers  and  ruffians  of  all  kinds,  and  with  plenty  of  gold 
to  set  the  machine  in  motion  there  is  no  limit  to  the  num- 
ber of  men  who  might  be  hired  for  any  desperate  deed." 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  161 

As  they  were  talking  they  were  making  their  way  toward 
one  of  the  southern  gates;  they  arrived  there  before  it  was 
opened,  and  had  to  wait  a  few  minntes.  Several  other  pas- 
sengers on  horseback  and  foot  were  gathered  there. 

"I  could  bet  a  crown  piece,"  Malcolm  said,  "that  some 
one  among  this  crowd  is  on  the  watch  for  us,  and  that 
before  another  half-hour  the  Duke  of  Chateaurouge  will 
know  that  we  have  started." 


16»  £0NjN1E  PU1MQJ£  GMAULm, 


CHAPTER  X. 

A    PERILOUS   JOURNET. 

A  NUMBER  of  peasants  with  market  carts  were  ■waiting 
ontside  the  gates,  and  for  the  first  few  miles  of  their  ride 
the  road  was  dotted  with  people  making  their  way  to  the 
city.  As  they  rode,  Malcolm  discussed  the  question  of 
the  best  road  to  be  taken.  Eonald  himself  was  still  in 
favor  of  pushing  straight  forward,  for  he  was  not  so  con- 
vinced as  his  follower  that  a  serious  attempt  would  be 
made  to  interrupt  their  journey.  He  pointed  out  that  the 
road,  as  far  as  Orleans  at  least,  was  one  of  the  most- 
frequented  in  France,  and  that  in  that  city  even  the  most 
reckless  would  hardly  venture  to  assault  them. 

"I  agree  with  you,  Ronald,  that  the  road  offers  less 
opportunities  for  ambushes  than  most  others,  for  the 
country  is  flat  and  well  cultivated;  but  after  all  a  dozen 
men  with  muskets  could  lie  in  ambush  in  a  cornfield  as 
well  as  a  wood,  and  the  fact  that  people  are  going  along 
the  road  counts  for  little  one  way  or  the  other,  for  not  one 
in  fifty  would  venture  to  interfere  if  they  saw  a  fray  going 
on.  But  granting  that  so  far  as  Orleans  the  country  is 
open  and  cultivated,  beyond  that  it  is  for  the  most  part 
forest;  but  above  all — although  they  may  regard  it  as  pos- 
sible that  we  may  be  on  our  guard,  and  may  travel  by 
other  ruads — it  is  upon  this  direct  line  that  tliey  are  sure 
to  make  the  most  preparations  for  us.  Beyond  that  it 
can  only  be  chance  work.     We  may  go  by  one  road  or  by 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  163 

another.  There  may  be  one  trap  set  on  each  road;  but 
once  past  that  and  we  are  safe." 

After  riding  lor  upward  of  an  hour  they  came,  at  the 
turn  of  che  road,  upon  two  carts.  One  had  apparently 
broken  down,  and  the  other  had  stopped  that  those  with 
it  might  give  assistance  in  repairing  it.  One  cart  was 
turned  across  the  road,  and  the  other  filled  the  resb  of  the 
space. 

"Stop!"  Malcolm  exclaimed,  checking  his  horse  sud- 
denly. 

"What  is  it?"  Ronald  asked  in  surprise. 

"Turn  back!"  Malcolm  said  sharply  as  he  wheeled  his 
horse  round. 

Eouald,  without  a  word,  did  the  same,  and  they  galloped 
a  hundred  yards  down  the  road. 

"We  were  nearly  caught  there,"  Malcolm  said. 

"Why,  how  do  you  mean?" 

"Never  mind  now,  Eonald.  Turn  sharp  to  the  right 
here,  and  make  a  detour  through  the  fields.  You  will 
soon  see  whether  I  was  right." 

"It  is  a  shame  riding  through  this  ripe  corn,"  Eonald 
said,  as  without  any  further  comment  he  leaped  his  horse 
over  the  bank  and  dashed  off  among  the  golden  grain, 
which  stretched  far  and  wide  on  both  sides  of  the  road. 

They  had  not  gone  fifty  yards  before  they  heard  lend 
shouts,  and  as  they  came  abreast  of  where  the  carts  ware 
standing  several  shots  were  fired,  and  ten  or  twelve  men 
were  seen  running  through  the  corn  as  if  to  cut  them  otL 
But  although  they  heard  the  whiz  of  the  bullets  they  were 
too  far  off  to  be  in  much  danger,  and  the  men  on  foot  had 
no  chance  of  cutting  them  off,  a  fact  which  they  speedily 
perceived,  as  one  by  one  they  halted  and  fired.  A  few 
hundred  yards  farther  the  two  horsemen  came  rouiid  into 
the  road  again  and  pursued  their  journey. 

*^Well,  what  do  yon  think  of  that,  Eonaldl"* 


164  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"It  was  an  ambnsh,  no  doubt,  Malcolm;  but  what  on 
earth  made  yon  suspect  it?  I  saw  nothing  suspicions. 
Merely  two  carts  in  the  road,  with  three  or  four  men  doing 
something  to  one  of  the  wheels." 

"I  am  in  a  suspicions  humor  this  morning,  Ronald,  and 
it  is  lucky  I  am.  The  sight  of  the  two  carts  completely 
blocking  the  road  brought  me  to  a  halt  at  once,  and  as  I 
checked  my  h'^rse  I  saw  a  movement  among  the  bushes  on 
the  right  of  the  road,  and  felt  sure  that  it  was  an  ambush. 
It  was  a  well-laid  one,  too,  and  had  we  ridden  on  we  should 
have  been  riddled  with  bullets.  No  doubt  there  were  men 
lying  in  the  carts.  They  would  have  jumped  up  as  we 
came  up  to  them,  and  the  fellows  in  the  bushes  would 
have  taken  us  in  the  rear;  between  their  two  fires  oar 
chances  Vi'ould  have  been  small  indeed.  No  doubt  they  had 
a  man  on  watch,  and  directly  they  saw  us  coming  they  got 
their  carts  across  the  road,  and  took  up  their  positions.  It 
was  a  well-contrived  scheme,  and  we  have  had  a  narrow 
escape." 

"Thanks  to  your  quickness  and  watchfulness,  Malcolm, 
which  has  saved  our  lives.  I  admit  that  you  are  ri^^ht 
and  I  was  wrong,  for  I  own  that  I  did  not  share  your 
apprehensions  as  to  the  dangers  of  our  journey.  Hence- 
forth I  will  be  as  much  on  the  lookout  as  you  are,  and 
will  look  with  suspicion  at  every  beggar-woman  that  may 
pass." 

"And  you  will  be  right  to  do  so,"  Malcolm  said  seriously; 
"but  for  the  present  I  think  that  we  are  safe.  This,  no 
doubt,  was  their  main  ambush,  and  they  may  reasonably 
have  felt  certain  of  success.  However,  we  may  'oe  suro 
that  they  did  not  rely  solely  upon  it.  This,  no  doubt,  is 
the  unmounted  portion  of  their  gang.  They  were  to  try 
and  put  a  stop  to  our  journey  at  its  outset;  but  mounted 
men  will  have  ridden  on  aheaa,  especially  as  they  couldn't 
have  been  sure  that  we  should  follow  this  road.     We  might 


BONNIE  PRINOF  CHARLIE.  165 

have  gone  ont  by  one  of  the  other  gates  at  the  south  side 

of  the  town,  and  they  will  have  watched  all  the  roads. 

Now  I  propose  that  we  take  the  next  lane  which  branches 

off  to  the  right,  and  travel  by  by-roads  in  future.     Do  not 

press  your  horse  too  fast.     "We  have  a  long  journey  before 

us,  and  must  always  have  something  in  hand  iu  case  it  is 

:^  necessary  to  press  them  to  full  speed." 

^      Two  miles  further  a  road   branched  to  the  right.     As 

5:^  they  approached  it  Ronald  was  about  to  touch  his  horse's 

^  rein,  when  Malcolm  said  shortly,  "Ride  straight  on." 

[^  Although   surprised   at   tiiis   sudden   change  of    plan, 
Konald  obeyed  without  question. 
;.     "  "What  was  that  for?"  he  asked  when  he  had  passed  the 
turning. 

"  Did  you  not  see  that  man  lying  down  by  the  heap  of 
stones  at  the  corner?" 

"Yes,  I  saw  him;  but  what  of  that?" 

"I  have  no  doubt  he  was  on  the  lookout  for  us.  Yes, 
I  thought  so,"  he  went  on,  as  he  stood  up  iu  his  stirr  .ps 
and  looked  back;  "there,  do  you  see  that  horse's  head  iu 
that  little  thicket,  just  this  side  of  where  the  road  sepa- 
rates? 1  expected  as  much.  If  wo  had  turned  off  iu 
another  two  minutes  that  fellow  would  have  been  gallop- 
ing along  this  road  to  take  the  news  to  those  ahead,  and 
they  would  have  ridden  to  cut  us  oft'  further  along.  I 
have  no  doubt  we  shall  find  some  one  on  watch  at  every 
turning  between  this  and  Orleans." 

"But  this  is  a  regular  campaign,  Malcolm." 

"It  is  a  campaign,  Ronald.  The  ruffians  and  thieves  of 
Paris  form  a  sort  of  army.  They  have  heads  whom  they 
implicitly  obey,  and  those  who  have  money  enough  to  set 
this  machine  in  motion  can  command  the  services  of  any 
number  of  men.  Sharp  fellows,  too,  many  of  them  are, 
and  when  they  received  orders  to  arrest  our  journey  io 
Tours  at  any  cost,  they  would  not  omil;  a  single  preoautioa 


166  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

■which  conld  ensure  success.  Their  former  attack  upon 
you,  and  its  result,  will  have  showed  them  that  we  are  not 
children,  and  that  the  enterprise  was  one  which  demanded 
all  their  efforts." 

"What  is  our  nest  move  now,  Malcolm?" 

"We  will  turn  oif  hefore  we  get  to  the  next  road.  They 
can  see  a  long  way  across  these  level  plains;  so  we  will  dis- 
mount and  lead  our  horses.  The  corn  is  well-nigh  shoulder 
deep,  and  if  we  choose  a  spot  where  the  ground  lies  rather 
low  neither  that  scoundrel  behind  nor  the  one  at  the  next 
road  is  likely  to  see  us." 

Half  a  mile  further  there  was  a  slight  dip  in  the  ground. 

"  This  is  a  good  spot,"  Malcolm  said.  "  This  depression 
extends  far  away  on  our  right,  and  although  it  is  very 
slight,  and  would  not  conceal  us  if  the  ground  were  bare, 
it  will  do  so  now,  so  let  us  take  advantage  of  it." 

So  saying  he  dismounted,  and  leading  his  horse,  turned 
into  the  cornfield.  Ronald  followed  him,  and  for  two 
miles  they  kept  straight  on  through  the  corn;  then  they 
came  upon  a  narrow  road  connecting  two  villages.  They 
mounted  and  turned  their  horses'  heads  to  the  south. 

"It  is  as  well  that  none  of  the  peasants  saw  us  making 
through  their  corn,"  Eonald  said,  "or  we  should  have  had 
them  upon  us  with  stone  and  flail  like  a  swarm  of  angry 
bees." 

"It  could  not  be  helped,"  Malcolm  replied,  "and  we 
could  easily  have  ridden  away  from  them.  However,  it  is 
just  as  well  that  we  have  had  no  bother  with  them.  Now 
we  will  quicken  our  pace.  We  are  fairly  between  two  of 
the  main  roads  south,  and  if  we  can  contrive  to  make  our 
way  by  these  village  tracks  we  shall  at  any  rate  for  come 
time  be  free  from  all  risk  of  molestation." 

"I  should  think  we  should  be  free  altogether,"  Ronald 
said.  "When  they  find  we  do  not  come  along  the  road 
they  will  suppose  we  have  been  killed  at  the  first  ambush." 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  167 

Malcolm  sh-ook  his  head. 

"Do  not  build  upoa  that,  Eonald.  No  don bt  as  soon 
as  we  had  passed,  some  of  those  fellows  monnted  the 
horses  we  saw  in  the  carts,  and  rode  off  in  accordance  with 
an  agreed  plan  to  give  notice  that  we  had  passed  them 
safely,  and  were  proceeding  by  that  road.  In  the  next 
place  the  fellow  we  saw  on  watch  would  most  likely  after  a 
time  mount  and  follow  ns,  and  when  he  got  to  the  watcher 
at  the  next  crossroad  and  found  that  we  had  not  come 
along  there  he  would  know  that  we  must  have  turned  off 
either  to  the  right  or  left.  One  of  them  is  doubtless  before 
this  on  his  way  to  the  next  party  with  the  news,  while  the 
other  has  set  to  work  to  find  out  where  we  turned  off, 
which  will  be  easy  enough  to  discover.  Still,  we  have 
gained  something,  and  may  fairly  reckon  that  if  we  ride 
briskly  there  is  no  fear  of  those  who  were  posted  along  the 
road  we  have  left  cutting  us  off." 

They  rode  all  day  at  a  steady  pace,  stopping  occasionally 
for  a  short  time  to  allow  the  horses  a  rest  and  a  feed.  The 
people  in  the  quiet  little  villages  looked  in  surprise  at  the 
young  officer  and  his  follower  as  they  rode  through  their 
street  or  stopped  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  while  the  horses 
were  fed,  for  even  Malcolm  agreed  that  such  pauses  were 
nuattended  by  danger.  It  was  rarely,  indeed,  that  a 
stranger  passed  along  these  by-paths,  and  the  peasants 
wondered  among  themselves  what  conld  induce  them  to 
travel  by  country  by-ways  instead  of  following  the  main 
roads. 

As  they  left  the  rich  plains  of  the  Beance,  the  country 
was  less  carefully  cultivated.  The  fields  of  corn  were  no 
longer  continuous,  and  presently  they  came  to  tracts  of  nn- 
cultivated  land  with  patches  of  wood.  They  now  left  the 
little  road  they  had  been  following,  and  rode  straight 
across  the  country,  avoiding  all  villages.  They  crossed 
several  hills,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  drew  rein  in  a  wide- 


168  BONNIE  FRINGE  CHA  RLIS. 

spreading  forest.  They  were,  Malcolm  thonght,  quite  aa 
far  south  as  Orleans,  and  by  starting  at  daylight  would 
Errive  at  Tours  by  midday. 

"Here  at  least  we  are  perfectly  safe,"  he  said;  "when 
we  approach  Tours  our  perils  will  begin  again.  When 
once  they  find  that  we  have  given  them  the  slip  they  are 
not  likely  to  try  to  intercept  us  anywhere  along  the  route 
till  we  near  the  town,  for  they  will  know  that  the  chances 
are  enormous  against  their  doing  so,  and  the  parties  along 
the  various  roads  will  push  on  so  as  to  meet  us  somewhere 
near  that  city.  The  river  can  only  be  crossed  at  certain 
points,  and  they  will  feel  sure  we  shall  go  by  one  or  other 
of  them." 

"And  I  suppose  we  shall,"  Bonald  said. 

"No,  Kon«ald;  my  idea  is  that  we  turn  west  and  ride  to 
Le  Mans,  then  take  a  wide  detour  and  enter  Tours  from 
the  south  side.  It  will  take  us  a  day  longer,  but  that  is 
of  little  consequence,  and  I  think  that  we  shall  in  that 
way  entirely  outwit  them.  The  only  precaution  we  shall 
have  to  take  is  to  cross  the  main  road  on  our  right  at  some 
point  remote  from  any  town  or  village." 

"I  think  that  is  a  capital  plan.  I  do  not  mind  a  share 
of  fair  fighting;  but  to  be  shot  down  suddenly  in  an  am- 
bush like  that  of  this  morning,  I  own  I  have  little  fancy 
for  it." 

Hobbling  their  horses,  they  turned  them  loose  to  pick 
up  what  they  could  in  the  forest,  and  then  sat  down  to 
enjoy  a  good  meal  from  the  ample  supply  Malcolm  had 
brought  with  him.  When  night  fell  they  unstrapped 
their  cloaks  from  their  saddles  and  rolled  themselves  in 
them,  and  lay  down  to  sleep.  An  hour  later  they  were 
roughly  awakened,  each  being  seized  by  three  men,  who, 
before  they  could  attempt  to  offer  resistance,  bound  their 
arms  to  their  sides,  and  then  hurried  them^long  through 
the  forest. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  169 

"I  have  been  a  fool,  Eonald,"  Malcolm  said  bitterly;  "I 
ought  to  have  kept  watch." 

"It  was  not  your  fault,  Malcolm.  One  could  never 
have  guessed  that  they  would  have  found  us  in  this  forest. 
Somebody  must  have  followed  us  at  a  distance  and  marked 
us  down,  and  brought  the  rest  upon  us;  but  even  had  you 
kept  watch  it  would  have  been  no  good,  for  they  would 
have  shot  us  down  before  we  could  make  any  resistance." 

"I  wonder  they  didn't  cut  our  throats  at  once,"  Malcolm 
said.  "I  don't  know  what  they  are  troubling  to  make  us 
prisoners  for." 

Presently  they  saw  a  light  in  the  forest  ahead  of  them, 
and  soon  arrived  at  a  spot  where  a  number  of  men  were 
sitting  round  a  fire. 

"  You  had  no  trouble  with  them,  Pierre,  I  suppose?" 

"No,  captain,  they  slept  as  soundly  as  moles.  They 
have  been  speaking  some  strange  language  as  we  cama 
along." 

"  Thank  God !"  Malcolm  exclaimed  fervently.  "  I  think, 
after  all,  Eonald,  we  have  only  fallen  in  with  a  band  of 
robbers,  and  not  with  our  enemies." 

"Unbind  their  hands,"  the  captain  of  the  band  said, 
"but  first  take  away  their  swords  and  pistols.  Gentlemen, 
may  I  ask  you  to  be  seated;  and  then,  perhaps,  you  will 
inform  us  what  you,  an  officer  in  the  Scotch  Dragoons,  aa 
1  perceive  by  your  uniform,  are  doing  here  in  the  forest V" 

Ronald,  to  whom  the  question  was  principally  addressed, 
replied  frankly: 

"  We  took  to  this  forest,  I  fancy,  for  the  same  reason 
for  which  vou  use  it,  namely,  for  safety.  We  are  on  our 
way  to  Tours,  and  there  are  some  people  who  have  interest 
in  preventing  our  arriving  there.  They  made  one  attempt 
to  atop  us  near  Paris;  fortunately  that  failed,  or  we  should 
not  be  now  enjoying  your  society;  but  as  it  was  likely  that 
giiiLOther  attempt  would  be  made  upon  the  road,  we  thought 


170  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

it  better  to  leave  it  altogether  and  take  to  the  forest  for 
Ihe  night." 

"What  interest  could  any  one  have  in  preventing  an 
officer  of  the  king  from  arriving  at  Tours?"  the  man  asked 
doubtfully. 

"It  is  rather  a  long  story,"  Ronald  said,  "but  if  it  is  of 
interest  to  you  I  shall  be  happy  to  relate  it;  and  I  may 
mention  that  there  are  three  bottles  of  good  wine  in  the 
valise  of  one  of  the  saddles,  and  a  story  is  none  the  worse 
for  such  an  accompaniment." 

A  laugh  went  round  the  circle  at  Ronald's  coolness,  and 
a  man  stepped  forward  with  the  two  saddles  which  he  had 
carried  from  the  spot  when  the  captives  had  been  seized. 
The  wine  was  taken  out  and  opened. 

"Yes,"  the  captain  of  the  band  said,  after  tasting  it, 
"the  wine  is  good;  now  let  us  have  your  story." 

Ronald  gave  them  an  outline  of  his  history,  told  them 
how  his  father  and  mother  had  been  for  many  years  im- 
prisoned for  marrying  contrary  to  the  king's  pleasure,  and 
how  he  had  at  last  obtained  the  royal  order  for  their  release, 
and  how  the  enemies  of  his  parents  were  now  trying  to 
prevent  him  from  having  those  orders  carried  out.  "  There 
are  the  orders,"  Ronald  said  as  he  concluded,  taking  them 
from  the  inner  pocket  where  he  carried  them.  "You  see 
they  are  addressed  to  the  abbess  of  the  convent  of  Our 
Lady  at  Tours,  and  to  the  governor  of  Blois." 

"The  story  you  tell  us  is  a  singular  one,"  the  captain 
replied,  "and  I  doubt  not  its  truth.  What  was  the  name 
of  your  father?" 

"He  was  Colonel  Leslie,  and  commanded  the  same  regi- 
ment to  which  I  belong." 

"I  remember  him,"  one  of  the  band  said.  "Our  regi- 
ments were  quartered  together,  nigh  twenty  years  ago,  at 
Flanders,  and  I  was  in  Paris  at  the  time  when  he  was  im- 
prisoned.   We  were  in  the  next  barracks  to  the  Scotchmen, 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  171 

and  I  remember  what  a  stir  it  made.     The  regiment  was 
ver3'  nigh  mutinying." 

"And  I  remember  you  too,  though  I  cannot  recall  your 
name,"  Malcolm  said,  rising  and  looking  hard  at  the 
speaker;  "and  if  I  mistake  not  we  have  cracked  many  a 
flask  together,  and  made  many  a  raid  on  the  henroosts  of 
the  Flemish  farmers.     My  name  is  Malcolm  Anderson." 

"I  remember  you  well,"  the  other  said,  rising  and  giving 
him  his  hand.  "  Of  course  I  met  you  scores  of  times,  for 
the  regiments  were  generally  brigaded  together." 

"That  confirms  your  story  altogether,  monsieur,"  the 
captain  of  the  band  said.  "From  this  moment  do  not 
consider  yourself  a  prisoner  any  longer.  I  may  say  that 
we  had  no  expectation  of  booty  in  your  case,  and  you 
were  captured  rather  from  curiosity  than  from  any  other 
reason.  One  of  my  men,  this  afternoon,  happened  to  see 
you  ride  into  the  wood  and  then  dismount  and  make  prep- 
arations for  passing  the  night  there.  He  reported  the 
matter  to  me.  I  know  that  gentlemen  of  your  cloth — I 
may  say  of  mine,  for  I  was  once  an  officer  of  his  majesty, 
though  I  left  the  service  somewhat  hastily,"  and  he  smiled, 
"on  account  of  an  unfortunate  deficiency  in  the  funds  of 
the  regiment  in  which  I  happened  at  the  time  to  be  acting 
as  paymaster — are  seldom  burdened  with  spare  cash,  but 
the  incident  seemed  so  strange  that  I  determined  to  cap- 
tare  and  question  you.  If  you  happen  to  have  more  cash 
on  you  than  you  care  about  carrying  we  shall  be  glad  to 
purchase  a  few  bottles  of  wine  equal  to  that  which  you 
have  given  us.  If  not,  I  can  assure  you  that  I  do  not 
press  the  matter." 

"I  am  obliged  to  you  for  your  courtesy,"  Eonald  said; 
"and  as  at  present  I  really  happen  to  be  somewhat  flush  of 
cash  I  am  happy  to  contribute  ten  louis  for  the  laudable 
purpose  you  mention." 

So  saying  he  took  out  his  purse,  counted  out  ten  pieces, 
and  handed  them  to  the  captain. 


17S  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

The  action  was  received  with  a  round  of  applanse,  for 
the  robbers  had  not,  from  the  lirst,  anticipated  obtaining 
any  booty  worth  speaking  of,  and  the  turn  affairs  had 
taken  had  altogether  driven  any  idea  of  gain  from  their 
minds. 

"I  thank  yon  warmly,  sir,"  the  captain  said,  "and 
promise  yon  that  I  will  to-morrow  despatch  a  messenger  to 
Orleans,  which  is  but  ten  miles  away,  and  will  lay  out  the 
money  in  liquor,  with  which  we  will,  to-morrow  night, 
drink  your  health  and  success  in  the  enterprise.  Nay, 
more,  if  you  like,  a  dozen  of  my  men  shall  accompany  you 
on  your  road  to  Tours.  They  have,  for  various  reasons, 
which  I  need  not  enter  into,  a  marked  objection  to  passing 
through  towns,  but  as  far  as  Blois  they  are  at  your  service.'"' 

"I  thank  you  for  your  offer,"  Ronald  replied,  "but  will 
liot  accept  it,  as  we  intend  to  ride  to-morrow  morning  to 
Le  Mans,  and  then  to  enter  Tours  from  the  south  side,  by 
which  we  shall  throw  our  enemies  completely  ofi  the  scent. ^' 

"But  why  do  you  not  go  to  Blois  first.?"  the  man  asked. 
"It  is  on  your  way  to  Tours." 

"I  wish  my  mother  to  be  present  at  the  release  of  my 
father.  So  long  a  confinement  may  well  have  broken  hira 
down.  Now  that  I  see  how  obstinately  bent  our  enemies 
are  upon  our  destruction,  I  will  take  with  me  two  or  three 
stout  fellows  from  Tours,  to  act  as  an  escort." 

"  What  day  will  you  be  leaving  there?"  the  man  asked. 

"To-day  is  Tuesday,"  Ronald  said;  "on  Thursday  we 
shall  be  at  Tours,  on  Friday  morning  we  shall  leave." 

"Very  well,"  the  man  replied,  "we  will  be  on  the  road. 
It  is  no  difference  to  us  where  we  are,  and  as  well  there  as 
here.  I  will  have  men  scattered  all  along  in  the  forest 
between  Blois  and  Amboise,  and  if  I  find  that  there  are 
any  suspicious  parties  along  the  road  we  will  watch  them, 
and  if  you  are  attacked  you  will  find  that  we  are  close  at 
hand  to  help  you.     You  are  a  generous  fellow,  and  your 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  173 

Btory  has  interested  me.  We  gentlemen  of  the  woods  are 
obliged  to  live,  whatever  the  law  says;  hut  if  we  can  do  a 
good  action  to  anybody  it  pleases  ns  as  well  as  others." 

"I  am  greatly  obliged  to  you,"  Eonald  said,  "and  can 
promise  you,  anyhow,  that  your  time  shall  be  not  alto- 
gether thrown  away." 

Soon  afterward  the  whole  band  lay  down  round  the  fire 
and  were  sound  asleep.  In  the  morning  Malcolm  saddled 
the  two  horses,  and  after  a  hearty  adiou  from  the  captain 
and  his  followers — all  of  whom  were  discharged  soldiers 
who  had  been  driven  to  take  up  this  life  from  an  inability 
to  support  themselves  iu  any  other  way — they  started  for 
Le  Mans,  which  town  they  reached  late  in  the  afternoon, 
without  adventure. 

Deeming  it  in  the  highest  degree  improbable  that  any 
v;atch  would  be  set  for  them  at  a  place  so  far  from  their 
line  of  travel,  they  put  up  for  the  night  at  the  principal 
iun.  In  the  morning  they  again  started,  and  after  riding 
for  some  distance  to  the  south,  made  a  wide  sweep,  and 
crossing  the  river,  entered  Tours  from  the  sonth,  late  in 
the  evening.  They  again  put  up  at  the  principal  inn,  for 
although  they  doubted  not  that  thoir  arrival  would  be 
noticed  by  the  emissaries  of  the  enemy,  they  had  no  fear 
of  molestation  in  a  town  like  Tours.  And  on  the  following 
morning  Ronald  presented  himself  at  the  entrance  to  the 
convent. 

"I  wish  to  see  the  lady  superior,"  he  said  to  the  lay 
sister  at  the  wicket.  "  I  am  the  bearer  of  a  communica- 
tion to  her  from  the  king." 

He  was  left  waiting  for  a  few  minutes  outside  the  gate, 
then  the  wicked  door  opened,  and  the  sister  requested  him 
to  follow  her. 

Not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen  as  he  traversed  the  gloomy 
courts  and  passed  through  several  corridors  to  the  room 
v/here  the  abbess  was  awaiting  him.     In  silence  he  handed 


174  BONNIE  PBTNGE  CHARLIE. 

to  her  the  king's  order.  The  abbess  opened  and  read 
it. 

"His  majesty's  commands  shall  be  obeyed,"  she  said; 
"in  an  hour  the  countess  will  be  in  readiness  to  depart.'* 

"A  carriage  shall  be  in  waiting  at  the  gate  to  receive 
her,"  Ronald  said,  bowing,  and  then,  without  another 
word,  retired. 

Malcolm  was  awaiting  him  outside,  and  they  at  once 
went  to  the  office  of  the  royal  post  and  engaged  a  carriage 
and  posthorses  to  take  them  to  Blois. 

The  carriage  was  at  the  door  at  the  appointed  time,  and 
a  few  minutes  later  the  gate  opeueJI,  and  the  countess,  in 
traveling  attire,  issued  out,  and  in  a  moment  was  clasped 
in  her  son's  arms.  He  at  once  handed  her  into  the  car- 
riage and  took  his  place  beside  her.  Malcolm  closed  the 
door  and  leaped  up  on  the  box,  the  postilion  cracked  his 
whip  and  the  carriage  moved  off. 

"Can  it  be  true,  Eonald,  or  am  I  dreaming?  It  is  but 
a  week  since  you  were  here  last,  and  the  news  of  my  release 
came  upon  me  with  such  a  surprise  that,  do  you  know,  I 
fainted.  Am  I  really  free?  Is  it  possible  that  I  have  seen 
the  last  of  those  hateful  walls?  It  seems  like  a  dream. 
Where  are  we  going?" 

"We  are  going  to  Blois." 

"To  a  prison?"  the  countess  exclaimed.  "But  no, 
there  are  no  guards  or  escorts.  Are  we  going,  oh,  Konald, 
are  we  going  to  see  my  husband?'* 

"Yes,  mother,  we  are  going,  not  only  to  see  him  but  to 
release  him.     I  have  the  king's  order  in  my  pocket." 

For  some  time  the  countess  was  unable  to  speak,  her 
joy  was  too  great  for  words.  Then  tears  came  to  her  re- 
lief, and  she  sobbed  out  exclamations  of  joy  and  gratitude. 
Ronald  said  nothing  until  she  had  somewhat  recovered  her 
calmness,  and  then  he  told  her  the  manner  in  which  Mar- 
shal Saxe  had  obtained  the  two  orders  of  release. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  175 

**I  will  pray  for  him  night  and  morning  to  the  last  day 
of  my  life,"  the  countess  said.  "God  is  indeed  good  to 
me.  I  had  hoped,  from  what  you  said,  that  my  term  of 
imprisonment  was  drawing  to  an  end ;  but  I  had  looked 
forward  to  a  long  struggle,  to  endless  efforts  and  petitions 
before  I  could  obtain  your  father's  release,  with,  perhaps, 
failure  in  the  end.  Not  for  one  moment  did  I  dream  that 
such  happiness  as  this  awaited  me." 

Ronald  now  thought  it  wise  to  repeat  the  warning  which 
iihe  marshal  had  given  him. 

"Mother,  dear,"  he  said,  "you  must  be  prepared  to  find 
that  a  total  change  will  have  taken  place  in  my  father. 
Eis  imprisonment  has  been  a  very  different  one  to  yours. 
You  have  had  companions  and  a  certain  amount  of  freedom 
and  comfort.  You  have  had  people  to  speak  to,  and  have 
inown  what  is  going  on  in  the  world.  He  has  been  cut 
off  altogether  from  mankind.  He  cannot  even  know 
■whether  you  are  alive,  or  whether  you  may  not  have 
yielded  to  the  pressure  that  would  be  sure  to  be  brought 
upon  you,  and  acquiesced  in  a  divorce  being  obtained.  He 
has,  doubtless,  been  kept  in  a  narrow  cell,  deprived  almost 
of  the  air  and  light  of  heaven.  He  will  be  greatly  changed, 
mother.  He  will  not  be  like  you;  for  it  does  not  seem  to 
me  that  you  can  have  changed  much  from  what  you  were. 
I  could  not  see  you  much  that  night  on  the  terrace;  but 
now  I  see  you  I  can  hardly  believe  that  you  are  my  mother, 
so  young  do  you  look." 

"I  am  nearly  forty,"  the  countess  said,  smiling.  "I  was 
past  twenty-one  when  I  married.  Had  I  not  been  of  age 
they  could  have  pronounced  the  marriage  null  and  void. 
But  you  are  right,  Ronald,  and  I  will  prepare  myself  to 
find  your  father  greatly  changed.  It  cannot  be  otherwise 
after  all  he  has  gone  through;  but  so  that  I  have  him 
again  it  is  enough  for  me^  no  matter  how  great  the  chang* 
that  may  have  taken  place  iu  him,     But  who  are  these 


176  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

men?"  the  coniitess  exclaimed,  as,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  out- 
side the  town,  four  men  on  horseback  took  up  their  places, 
two  on  each  side  of  the  carriage. 

"  Do  not  bo  alarmed,  mother,  they  are  our  escort.  Mal- 
colm hired  them  at  Le  Mans.  They  are  all  old  soldiers, 
and  can  be  relied  on  in  case  of  necessity." 

"liut  what  need  can  there  be  for  them,  Ronald?  I  have 
heard  that  bands  of  discharged  soldiers  and  others  make 
traveling  insecure;  but  I  had  no  idea  that  it  was  necessary 
to  have  an  armed  escort." 

"Not  absolutely  necessary,  mother,  but  a  useful  measure 
of  precaution.  We  heard  of  them  as  we  came  through 
from  Paris,  and  Malcolm  and  I  agreed,  that  as  you  would 
have  with  you  any  jewels  and  valuables  tljat  you  took  to 
the  convent,  it  would  be  just  as  well  to  be  in  a  position  to 
beat  off  any  who  might  be  disposed  to  trouble  us.  As  you 
see,  they  have  brought  with  them  Malcolm's  horse  and 
mine,  and  we  shall  now  iKount.  The  less  weight  the 
horses  have  to  draw  the  better.  I  will  get  in  and  have  a 
talk  from  time  to  time  where  the  road  happens  to  be  good; 
but,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  the  jolting  and  shaking  are 
neither  pleasant  nor  good  for  talking." 

"  You  are  expecting  to  be  attacked,  Ronald,"  the  countess 
said.  "I  am  sure  you  would  not  be  wanting  to  get  out 
and  leave  me  so  soon  after  we  have  met  did  you  not  antici- 
pate some  danger." 

"Frankly,  mother,  then,  I  do  think  it  is  probable  that 
an  attempt  may  be  m.ade  to  stop  us,  and  that  not  by  regu- 
lar robbers,  but  by  your  old  enemies.  They  did  their  best 
to  prevent  me  from  reaching  Tours,  and  will  now  most 
likely  try  to  prevent  our  arriving  at  Blois.  I  will  tell  you 
all  about  it  when  we  get  there  to-night.  Here  is  the  order 
for  my  father's  release.  Will  you  hide  it  in  your  dress? 
I  had  rather  uot  have  it  about  ms.  And,  mother,  if  we 
should  be  attacked  do  not  be  alarmed,  for  J.  have  reason  to 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  ITt 

believe  that  if  we  should  be  outrmmbered  and  hard  pressed 
help  will  speedily  be  forthcoming." 

"I  am  not  in  the  least  afraid  for  myself,"  the  countess 
said;  "but  bo  careful,  Eonald.  Eemember  I  have  only 
just  found  you,  and  for  my  sake  do  not  expose  yourself 
unnecessarily." 

"1  will  take  care  of  myself,  mother,"  he  said.  "You 
know  I  have  always  had  to  do  so." 

Malcolm  had  already  mounted  his  horse,  and  Eonald 
was  really  glad  when  he  took  his  place  beside  him  a  few 
yards  ahead  of  the  carriage.  The  art  both  of  road-making 
and  carriage-building  was  still  in  its  infancy.  When  the 
weather  was  fine  and  the  ground  hard  a  fair  rate  of  prog- 
ress could  be  maintained;  but  in  wet  weather  the  vehicles 
often  sank  almost  up  to  their  axles  in  mud  holes  and  quag- 
mires, and  the  bumping  and  jolting  were  terrible. 

"Now  we  take  up  our  work  of  looking  out  for  ambushes 
again,  Malcolm." 

"It  will  not  be  quite  the  same  thing  now,"  Malcolm 
said.  "  Before,  two  or  three  men  with  guns  behind  a  wall 
might  do  the  business,  now  they  will  have  to  make  a  regu- 
lar attack.  I  have  no  doubt  that  we  were  watched  from 
the  time  we  entered  the  town,  and  that  the  news  that  we 
are  traveling  with  the  countess  in  a  carriage,  and  with  an 
escort  of  four  armed  men,  has  been  carried  on  ahead 
already.  It  is  by  horsemen  that  we  shall  be  attacked 
to-day  if  we  are  attacked  at  all,  and  they  will  probably 
fall  upon  us  in  the  forest  beyond  Amboise.  They  will 
know  that  with  a  vehicle  we  must  keep  the  road,  and  that 
as  we  cannot  travel  more  than  six  miles  an  hour  at  the 
outside,  we  cannot  attempt  to  escape  by  our  speed." 

"Do  you  think  we  had  better  wait  at  Amboise  for  the 
night  and  go  on  to  Orleans  to-morrow?" 

"No,  I  think  we  had  better  push  straight  on,  especially 
as  we  told  our  friends  in  the  forest  that  we  should  come 


178  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

to-day,  and  I  feel  sure  they  will  keep  their  promise  to  be 
on  the  lookout  to  aid  ns.  If  it  were  not  for  that  I  should 
have  said  let  ns  stay  at  Tours  for  the  present,  for  we  may 
expect  to  he  attacked  by  a  force  much  superior  to  our  own." 

"  Why,  they  would  not  have  sent  down  more  than  six 
men  to  attack  us  two,  Malcolm?" 

"  No,  if  they  had  been  sure  which  road  we  should  travel ; 
but  as  they  didn't  know  that,  they  may  have  had  small 
parties  at  half  a  dozen  spots,  and  these  will  now  be  united. 
Probably  there  may  a  score  of  them.  However,  I  rely  on 
the  robbers.  The  captain  meant  what  he  said,  and  you 
won  the  good-will  of  all  the  men.  If  there  are  a  dozen 
horsemen  anywhere  along  the  road  they  are  sure  to  know 
of  it,  and  will,  I  have  no  doubt,  post  themselves  close  at 
hand  so  as  to  be  ready  to  join  in  the  fray  as  soon  as  it 
commences." 

Amboise  was  reached  without  adventure.  Here  the 
horses  in  the  carriage  were  changed,  and  the  party  pro- 
ceeded on  their  way.  Four  miles  further  they  entered  a 
great  forest.  Eonald  now  ordered  two  of  the  men  to  ride 
a  few  yards  in  front  of  the  horses'  heads.  He  and  Mal- 
colm rodo  on  each  side  of  the  coach,  the  other  two  followed 
close  behind.  He  ordered  the  driver,  in  ease  they  were 
attacked,  to  jump  off  instantly  and  run  to  the  horses' 
heads,  and  keep  them  quiet  during  the  fray. 

A  vigilant  lookout  was  kept.  Suddenly,  when  they  were 
in  the  thickest  part  of  the  wood,  a  number  of  mounted  men 
dashed  out  from  either  side.  In  obedience  to  the  orders 
Eonald  had  given,  the  men  in  front  and  behind  at  once 
closed  in,  so  that  there  were  three  on  either  side  of  the 
carriage.  The  assailants  j&red  their  pistols  as  they  dashed 
down,  but  the  bullets  flew  harmlessly  by,  while  the  fire  of 
the  defenders,  sitting  quietly  on  their  horses,  was  more 
accurate,  two  of  the  assailants  falling  dead,  while  another 
was  severely  wounded. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  17© 

A  moment  later  swords  were  drawn,  and  a  furious  com- 
bat eusued.  Ronald  had  told  his  men  to  keep  close  to  the 
carriage,  so  that  they  could  not  be  attacked  in  the  rear, 
keeping  just  far  enough  out  on  either  side  of  him  to  be 
able  to  use  their  swords.  For  a  short  time  the  defenders 
of  the  coach  maintained  their  position,  the  number  of 
their  assailants  giving  them  but  slight  advantage,  as  they 
were  unable  to  utilize  their  force. 

Ronald  ran  the  first  man  who  attacked  him  through  the 
body,  and  laid  open  the  face  of  the  next  with  a  sweeping 
blow  from  left  to  right.  The  men  they  had  hired  fought 
stoutly;  but  they  were  being  pressed  together  as  the  assail- 
ants nrged  forward  their  horses,  when  suddenly  a  volley  of 
firearms  was  heard. 

Several  of  the  assailants  fell  dead,  and  with  a  loud  shout 
a  number  of  men  rushed  out  from  the  wood  and  fell  upon 
them  in  rear.  The  assailants  turned  to  fly,  and  it  was 
flow  the  turn  of  the  defenders  of  the  coach  to  attack,  which 
they  did  furiously. 

In  two  or  three  minutes  all  was  over.  Five  or  six  only 
of  the  assailants  cut  their  way  through  the  footmen  who 
had  attacked  them  in  rear,  while  twelve  lay  dead  or  dying 
on  the  ground.  Ronald's  first  impulse  was  to  ride  up  to 
the  carriage  to  assure  his  mother  of  his  safety,  his  next  to 
leap  off  his  horse  and  grasp  the  hand  of  the  chief  of  the 
robbers. 

"You  have  kept  your  promise  nobly,"  he  said,  "and 
arrived  at  the  very  nick  of  time.  They  were  beginning  to 
press  us  hotly;  and  though  I  fancy  we  should  have  ren- 
dered an  account  of  a  good  many  more,  we  must  have  been 
beaten  in  the  end." 

"I  was  farther  behind  than  I  intended  to  he,"  the  man 
said;  "but  we  were  obliged  to  keep  in  hiding  some  little 
distance  behind  them.  There  were  four  parties  of  them. 
We  kept  them  in  sight  all  yesterday,  and  last  night  they 


180  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

assembled  a  mile  or  two  away.  I  had  men  watching  them 
all  night,  and  this  morning  we  followed  them  here,  and 
saw  them  take  up  their  position  on  both  sides  of  the  road. 
"We  crept  np  as  closely  as  we  dare  without  being  observed, 
l)ut  yoa  had  for  a  couple  of  minutes  to  bear  the  brunt  of 
it  alone." 

"  I  thank  yon  most  heartily,"  Eonald  said.  '*  My  mother 
"will  thank  you  for  herself."  So  saying,  he  led  him  to  the 
door  of  the  carriage,  which  he  opened. 

"Mother,  I  told  you  that  if  we  were  attacked  I  relied 
upon  help  being  near  at  hand.  We  owe  our  lives,  for  I 
have  no  doubt  that  yours  as  well  as  mine  would  have  been 
taken,  to  this  brave  man  and  his  followers." 

"I  thank  you  most  sincerely,  sir,"  the  countess  said, 
**At  present  I  feel  like  one  in  a  dream;  for  I  have  been  sa 
long  out  of  the  world  that  such  a  scene  as  this  has  well- 
nigh  bewildered  me." 

"I  am  only  too  glad  to  have  been  of  service,"  the  man 
said  as  he  stood  bareheaded.  "I  am  not  a  good  man,  ma- 
dam. I  am  one  of  those  whom  the  necessities  of  tha 
times  have  driven  to  earn  their  living  as  they  can  without 
much  regard  to  the  law;  but  I  trust  that  I  have  not  quite 
lost  my  instincts  as  a  gentleman,  and  I  am  only  too  glad 
to  have  been  able  to  be  of  some  slight  assistance  to  a  per- 
secuted lady;  for  your  son,  the  other  night,  related  to  ua 
something  of  the  treatment  which  you  have  had  to 
endure." 

With  a  bow  he  now  stepped  back.  His  followers  were 
engaged  in  searching  the  pockets  of  the  fallen  and  found 
in  them  a  store  of  money  which  spoke  well  for  the  liber- 
ality of  their  employer,  and  well  satisfied  the  robbers  for 
the  work  they  had  undertaken.  After  a  few  words  with 
her  son  the  countess  opened  a  small  bag  she  carried  with 
her,  and  taking  from  it  a  valuable  diamond  brooch,  called 
the  leader  of  the  band  up  and  presented  it  to  him. 


Colonel  Leslie  in  his  prison  at  Blois.— Psge  185. 

—Bonnie  Prince  Charlie, 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  181 

Eonald  and  his  party  then  remounted  their  horses — the 
robbers  had  already  overtaken  and  canght  those  of  the 
fallen  assailants — the  driver  mounted  the  box,  and  after  a 
cordial  farev/ell  to  their  rescuers  the  partj  proceeded  oa 
their  way  to  Blois. 


^g^  jdONIflM  PEllTUE  GSAELIM^ 


CfHAPTEE  XL 

FREE. 

It  was  late  at  night  before  Blois  was  reached,  and  hav- 
ing alighted  at  the  Aigle  d'Or  they  engaged  a  private  room. 

"Even  the  Duke  of  Chateaurouge  will  be  satisfied," 
Eouald  said,  "that  his  schemes  have  failed,  and  that  no 
more  can  be  done  just  at  present.  It  will  be  a  bitter  blow 
to  him  when  those  scoundrels,  on  their  return  to  Paris, 
report  their  utter  failure,  for  he  must  have  considered  it 
impossible  that  v/e  could  escape  from  the  toils  he  had 
laid  for  us.  I  only  wish  that  we  had  clear  evidence  that 
he  is  the  author  of  these  attempts.  If  so,  I  would  go 
straight  with  Marshal  Saxe  and  lay  an  accusation  against 
him  before  the  king;  but  however  certain  we  may  feel 
about  it,  we  have  really  nothing  to  connect  him  with  the 
affair,  and  it  would  be  madness  to  accuse  a  king's  favorite 
unless  one  could  prove  absolutely  the  truth  of  what  one 
says.  However,  1  hope  some  day  that  I  shall  get  even 
with  him.     It  will  not  be  my  fault  if  I  do  not." 

That  night  Ronald  and  his  mother  debated  what  would 
be  the  best  way  to  proceed  in  the  morning,  and  finally 
they  agreed  that  Malcolm  should  present  himself  at  the 
prison  with  the  order  of  release,  and  that  they  should 
remain  at  the  hotel  to  which  Malcolm  should  bring  Colonel 
Leslie,  after  breaking  to  him  the  news  that  his  wife  and 
son  were  both  awaiting  him.  The  shock,  in  any  case,  of 
fudden  liberty,  would  be  a  severe  one,  and  the  meeting 


BONNIE  PllINUE  CHARLIE.  183 

with  his  attached  comrade  would  act  as  a  preparation  for 
that  with  his  wife. 

Mother  and  son  sat  hand  in  hand  after  hearing  the  car- 
riage drive  off  with  Malcolm  next  morning.  In  the  hours 
they  had  now  spent  together  they  had  come  to  know  each 
other,  and  the  relationship  had  become  a  real  one.  They 
had  scarce  been  able  to  make  out  each  other's  features  at 
their  midnight  meeting  on  the  terrace,  and  at  that  meet- 
ing, rejoiced  as  they  both  were,  there  was  still  a  feeling  of 
strangeness  between  them.  Now  they  knew  each  other  as 
they  were,  and  both  were  well  satisfied.  The  countess  was 
less  strange  to  Ronald  than  he  was  to  her.  Malcolm  had 
already  described  her  to  him  as  he  knew  her  eighteen  years 
before,  and  the  reality  agreed  closely  with  the  ideal  that 
Ronald  had  pictured  to  himself,  except  that  she  was 
younger  and  brighter.  For  in  thinking  of  her  he  had 
told  himself  over  and  over  again  that  she  would  have 
grown  mnch  older,  that  her  hair  might  have  turned  gray 
with  grief  and  trouble  and  her  spirit  been  altogether 
broken. 

She  on  her  part  had  been  able  to  form  no  idea  as  to 
what  the  infant  she  had  last  seen  would  have  grown  up, 
and  was  not  even  sure  that  he  was  in  existence.  She  had 
hoped  that  if  he  had  lived  he  would  have  grown  up  like 
his  father,  and  although  she  now  saw  but  slight  resem- 
blance between  them,  she  was  indeed  well  satisfied  with 
her  son. 

He  was  not,  she  thought,  as  handsome  as  his  father,  hut 
he  bade  fair  to  surpass  him  in  strength  and  stature.  She 
was  delighted  with  his  manly  bearing;  and  when  he 
laughed  he  reminded  her  of  her  husband,  and  she  thought 
that  she  read  in  his  gray  eye  and  firm  mouth  a  steadfast- 
ness and  depth  of  character  equal  to  his.  They  spoke  but 
little  now.  Both  were  too  anxious,  Ronald  for  his  mother's 
saka  rather  than  his  own.     He  was  prepared  to  find  this 


X84  BONNIE  FRINGE  GHARLIB, 

unknown  father  a  man  broken  down  by  his  years  of  cap- 
tivity; but  although  his  mother  said  that  she  too  was  pre- 
pared for  great  changes,  he  could  not  but  think  that  the 
reality  would  be  a  sad  shock  to  her.  In  little  over  an  hour 
the  carriage  drove  into  the  courtyard. 

"Be  brave,  mother,"  Ronald  said,  as  he  felt  the  hand 
he  held  in  his  own  tremble  violently.  "  You  must  be  calm 
for  his  sake." 

Steps  were  heard  approaching.  The  door  opened,  and 
Malcolm  entered  with  a  man  leaning  on  his  arm.  The 
countess  with  a  cry  of  joy  sprang  forward,  and  the  next 
moment  was  clasped  in  her  husband's  arms. 

"At  last,  my  love,  at  last!"  she  said. 

Ronald  drew  aside  to  the  window  to  leave  his  father  and 
mother  to  enjoy  the  first  rapture  of  their  meeting  undis- 
turbed, while  Malcolm  slipped  quietly  from  the  room 
again. 

"Why,  Amelie,"  Leslie  said  at  last,  holding  her  at 
arms'-length  that  he  might  look  the  better  at  her,  "you 
are  scarce  changed.  It  does  not  seem  to  me  that  you  are 
five  years  older  than  when  I  saw  you  last,  and  yet  Malcolm 
tells  me  that  you  too  have  been  a  prisoner.  How  much 
my  love  has  cost  you,  dear!  No,  you  are  scarce  changed, 
while  I  have  become  an  old  man — my  hair  is  as  white  as 
snow,  and  I  am  so  crippled  with  rheumatism  I  can  scarce 
move  my  limbs." 

"You  are  not  so  much  changed,  Angus.  Your  hair  is 
white  and  your  face  is  very  pale;  but  you  are  not  so 
much  changed.  If  I  have  suffered  for  your  love,  dear, 
what  have  you  suffered  for  minel  I  have  been  a  prisoner 
in  a  way,  but  I  had  a  certain  amount  of  freedom  in  my 
cage,  while  you — "     And  she  stopped. 

"Yes,  it  has  been  hard,"  he  said;  "but  I  kept  up  my 
spirits,  Amelie.  I  never  lost  the  hope  thai  some  day  we 
should  be  reunited." 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  185 

"And  now,  Angus,  here  is  our  boy  to  •whom  we  owe  our 
liberty  and  the  joy  of  this  meeting.  You  may  well  be 
proud  of  such  a  son." 

"I  am  proud,"  Leslie  said  as  Eonald  advanced,  and  he 
took  him  in  his  arms.  "God  bless  you,  my  boy.  You 
have  performed  well-nigh  a  miracle.  Malcolm  has  been 
telling  me  of  you.  Call  him  in  again.  It  is  right  that  he 
to  whom  you  owe  so  much  should  share  in  our  happiness." 

Eonald  at  once  fetched  Malcolm,  and  until  late  at  night 
they  talked  of  all  that  had  happened  during  so  many  years. 
Colonel  Leslie  had  passed  the  first  three  years  of  his  con- 
finement in  the  Chatelet.  "It  was  well  it  was  no  longer," 
he  said;  "for  even  I,  hard  as  I  was  Avith  years  of  soldiering, 
could  not  have  stood  that  much  longer.  My  cell  there 
was  below  the  level  of  the  river.  The  walls  were  damp, 
and  it  was  there  I  got  the  rheumatism  which  has  crippled  me 
ever  since.  Then  they  moved  me  to  Blois,  and  there  my 
cell  was  in  one  of  the  turrets,  and  the  sun  shone  in  through 
the  window  slit  for  half  an  hour  a  day;  besides  for  an  hour 
once  a  week  I  was  allowed  to  take  what  they  called  exercise 
on  the  wall  between  my  turret  and  the  next.  The  gov- 
ernor was  not  a  bad  fellow,  and  did  not  try  to  pocket  the 
best  part  of  the  money  allowed  for  the  keep  of  the  pris- 
oners. Fortunately  I  never  lost  hope.  Had  I  done  so  I 
would  have  thrown  myself  over  the  parapet  and  ended  it 
at  once.  I  felt  sure  that  you  too  were  shut  up,  Amelie, 
and  I  pictured  to  myself  how  they  would  try  to  make  yon 
give  me  up;  but  I  never  thought  they  would  succeed, 
dear.  I  knew  you  too  well  for  that.  Sometimes  for 
months  I  lay  as  if  paralyzed  by  rheumatism,  and  I  think  I 
should  have  died  if  I  had  not  known  howmy  enemies  would 
have  rejoiced  at  the  news  of  my  death.  So  I  held  on 
stoutly,  and  I  have  got  my  reward." 

But  the  hardships  had  told  their  tale.  Although  but 
the  same  age  as  Malcolm  Anderson,  Colonel  Leslie  looked 


186  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

fnlly  ten  years  older.  His  long  confinement  had  taken 
every  tinge  of  color  out  of  his  face,  and  left  it  almost 
ghastly  in  its  whiteness.  He  could  with  difficulty  lift  his 
hands  to  his  head,  and  he  walked  as  stiffly  as  if  his  legs 
had  been  jointless.  His  voice  only  had  not  lost  the  cheery 
ring  his  wife  remembered. 

"No,  Amelie,"  he  said  when  she  remarked  this.  "I 
kept  my  tongue  in  practice;  it  was  the  one  member  that 
■was  free.  After  I  had  been  confined  a  few  months  it 
struck  me  that  I  was  rapidly  losing  the  power  of  speech, 
and  I  determined  that  if  I  could  not  talk  for  want  of  some 
one  to  answer  me,  I  could  at  least  sing,  and  having  a  good 
store  of  songs,  Scottish  and  French,  I  sang  for  hours  to- 
gether, at  first  somewhat  to  the  uneasiness  of  the  prison 
authorities,  who  thought  that  I  could  not  be  so  merry 
unless  I  had  had  some  communication  from  without,  or 
"was  planning  an  escape;  but  at  last  they  grew  accustomed 
to  it,  and  as  my  voice  could  not  travel  through  the  thick 
walls  of  my  cells,  it  annoyed  no  one." 

"And  did  you  never  think  of  escaping,  father?" 

"The  first  few  years  of  my  confinement  I  was  always 
thinking  of  it,  Ronald,  but  nothing  ever  came  of  my 
thought,  I  had  no  tools  to  burrow  through  a  four-foot 
■wall,  and  if  I  could  have  done  so  I  should  have  been  no 
nearer  to  freedom;  but  I  do  think  I  should  have  tried  if 
it  had  only  been  to  give  me  something  to  do,  had  it  not 
been  that  I  hoped  some  day  to  obtain  my  release,  and  that 
any  attempt  at  escape  would,  if  discovered,  as  it  was  almost 
certain  to  be,  decrease  my  chances." 

Not  a  word  was  said  that  evening  as  to  their  future 
plans,  all  their  thoughts  being  in  tlie  pastj  but  the  next 
morning  Colonel  Leslie  said  at  breakfast: 

"  And  now  what  are  we  going  to  do  next?  How  do  we 
stand?" 

"I  know  no  more  than  you  do,  Angus.     I  do  not  know 


BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE.  187 

whether  the  king  has  gifted  my  mother's  estate  to  others, 
as  assuredly  he  has  done  my  father's  lauds.  If  he  has,  I 
have  been  thinking  that  the  best  plan  will  be  to  ask  the 
king's  permission  to  leave  the  kingdom  and  return  to  your 
native  Scotland." 

"1  am  very  fond  of  Scotland,  Amelie;  but  I  have  also  a 
fondness  for  living,  and  how  I  should  live  in  Scotland  I 
have  not  the  most  remote  idea.  My  estate  there  was  but 
a  small  one,  and  was  forfeited  thirty  years  ago;  so  unless  I 
become  a  gaberlunzie  and  sit  on  the  steps  of  St.  Andrews 
asking  for  alms,  I  don't  see  how  we  should  get  porridge, 
to  say  nothing  of  anything  else.  No,  Amelie,  it  seems  to 
me  that  we  must  stop  in  France.  For  very  shame  they 
cannot  let  the  daughter  of  the  Marquis  de  Eecambours 
starve,  and  they  must  at  least  restore  you  a  corner  of  your 
parents'  estates,  if  it  be  but  a  farm.  How  are  we  off  for 
funds  at  present?"  he  asked  with  a  laugh.  "I  hope  at 
least  we  have  enough  to  pay  our  hotel  bill." 

"We  have  forty  louis  in  cash,  father;  the  remains  of 
the  hundred  you  committed  t    Malcolm  with  me." 

"Is  that  so?"  he  exclaimed.  "All  I  can  say  is  that  that 
money  has  lasted  longer  than  any  that  ever  passed  through 
my  fingers  before." 

"We  have  plenty  of  money,"  the  countess  said  quietly. 
"I  have  all  the  jewels  which  came  to  me  from  my  mother, 
and  their  sale  will  keep  us  for  years,  either  in  Scotland  or 
France." 

"That  is  good  indeed,"  the  colonel  said  cheerily. 

"Yes;  I  took  them  all  with  me  when  I  was  sent  to  the 
convent,  and  have  pajted  with  none  save  the  diamond 
necklet  which  I  gave  to  the  girl  who  brought  Ronald  and 
mo  together,  as  a  parting  keepsake,  and  a  brooch  with 
■which  I  rewarded  the  men  who  aided  us  in  the  forest;  but 
seriously,  Angus,  we  must  settle  upon  something." 

"I  quite  agree  with  you,  Amelie;  bat  what  is  that 
something  to  be?" 


t88  BONNIE  PBINGE  CHARLIE. 

"I  sliould  think,  Angns,  that  the  proper  thing  ■would 
be  for  me  to  write  to  the  king  thanking  him  for  our  re- 
lease, asking  his  commands,  and  petitioning  him  that  my 
mother's  estates  may  be  restored  to  me.  I  will  also  ask 
permission  to  retire  to  some  southern  town  where  there 
are  waters  which  may  do  good  to  your  rheumatism." 

Colonel  Leslie  frowned. 

"I  suppose  that  is  the  right  thing  to  do,  Amelie; 
though,  for  my  part,  I  cannot  thank  l:  sovereign  whom  I 
have  served  well  after  such  treatment  as  I  have  received. 
I  would  rather  beg  my  bread  from  door  to  door." 

"No,  I  would  not  ask  you,  Angus,  and  of  course  yon 
are  differently  placed;  but  I  have  my  rights  as  a  peeress 
of  France;  besides  I  have  on  my  own  account  no  complaint 
against  the  king.  It  was  my  father  who  shut  me  up  in 
the  convent,  not  the  king." 

"By  the  way,  Amelie,"  her  husband  said,  "you  are  not 
yet  in  mourning." 

"Nor  do  I  intend  to  he,"  she  said  firmly;  "unless  I  havo 
to  go  to  court  no  thread  of  mourning  do  I  put  on.  My 
father  behaved  like  a  tyrant  to  me,  and  still  more  to  you; 
his  death  has  released  us  both,  and  I  will  not  feign  a  grief 
at  an  event  which  has  brought  us  happiness.  Well, 
Eonald,  what  do  you  tliink  had  best  be  done?  You  and 
Malcolm  have  managed  so  well  that  we  had  best  leave  it 
for  you  to  decide." 

"I  think  what  yon  propose,  mother,  is  best.  I  think 
you  had  better  travel  down  to  some  place  near  where  your 
mother's  estates  lay,  and  then  write  your  petition  to  the 
king.  I  will  leave  you  there  and  return  with  it  to  Paris, 
and  will  there  consult  Colonel  Hume  and  Marshal  Saxe  as 
to  how  it  should  be  delivered  to  the  king." 

This  plan  was  carried  out.  The  party  journeyed  to- 
gether to  Poitiers,  and  there  having  seen  his  parents 
comfortr.bly  settled  in  a  small  house  near  tho  town,  and 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CnARLIE.  189 

remained  with  them  a  few  days,  Ronald  with  Malcolm  re- 
turned to  Paris,  bearing  with  him  his  mother's  memorial 
to  the  king. 

Eonald  was  glad  to  find  that  Colonel  Hnme  was  now 
recovered  from  his  wonnd.  Marshal  Saxe  too  was  better; 
the  latter  at  once  took  charge  of  the  petition,  and  said 
that  he  would  hand  it  to  the  king  on  the  first  opportunity. 
Ronald  accompanied  the  marquis  several  times  to  Ver- 
sailles, but  the  latter  had  no  private  audisnco  with  tha 
king,  and  thought  it  better  not  to  present  the  memorial  ia 
public.  One  day,  however,  he  was  called  into  the  king's 
closet. 

When  he  emerged  with  the  king,  Ronald  thought  from 
his  expression  of  countenance  that  things  had  not  gone 
well.  On  leaving  the  palace  he  mounted  his  horse — for 
he  was  now  well  enough  to  ride—and  as  he  set  out  he  called 
Ronald,  who  with  other  gentlemen  had  accompanied  him 
to  ride  beside  him. 

"Things  have  not  gone  well,"  he  said.  "Your  father's 
enemies  have  evidently  been  at  work,  and  have  been  poi- 
soning the  king's  mind.  He  read  the  memorial,  and  then 
said  harshly,  'The  Countess  of  Recam hours  has  forfeited 
all  rights  to  her  mother's  estates  by  marrying  an  alieuo 
The  lands  of  France  are  for  the  king  of  France's  subjects, 
not  for  soldiers  of  fortune.'  This  touched  me,  and  I  said, 
'Your  majesty  may  recollect  that  I  am  an  alien  and  a  sol- 
dier of  fortune,  and  methinks  that  in  time  of  war  the 
swords  of  our  soldiers  of  fortune  have  done  such  things 
for  France  that  they  have  earned  some  right  to  gratitude. 
In  a  hundred  battles  our  Scottish  troops  have  fought  in 
the  front  ranks,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  Irish  Brigade 
we  should  not  have  had  to  write  Fontenoy  down  among 
the  list  of  French  victories.' 

"'You  are  bold,  marshal,'  the  king  said  angrily. 

'**!  an  bold,  sire,'  I  replied,  'because  I  am  in  the  righ!;.* 


190  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

and  I  hnmbly  snbmit  that  a  brave  soldier  like  Coloiiel 
Leslie  deserves  bet^ter  treatment  than  he  has  received  at 
the  hands  of  France.' 

'*The  king  rose  at  once. 

"'An  answer  to  the  petition  will  be  sent  to  yon  to- 
morrow, marshal.' 

"I  bowed,  and  without  another  word  the  king  left  his 
closet  and  entered  the  room  of  audience.  However,  lad, 
yon  mnst  not  look  so  downcast.  We  could  perhaps  expect 
no  more  the  first  time.  Of  course  every  man  who  has  a 
hope,  or  who  has  a  relation  who  has  a  hope,  of  obtaining 
the  grant  of  your  mother's  estates  is  interested  in  exciting 
the  king's  displeasure  against  her;  besides  which  there  is, 
as  you  have  told  me,  the  Duo  de  Chateaurouge,  who  may 
be  regarded  as  a  personal  enemy  of  your  father,  and  who 
has  the  king's  ear  as  much  as  any  one  about  him.  How- 
ever, we  must  have  courage.  I  consider  my  personal  honor 
is  touched  in  the  matter  nov/,  and  I  will  not  let  the  matter 
drop  till  justice  is  done." 

At  the  appointed  time  Ronald  again  called  at  Marshal 
Saxe's  hotel,  and  watched  the  gay  crowd  of  officers  and 
nobles  who  were  gathered  in  his  reception-rooms.  An  hour 
later  a  royal  attendant  entered  and  handed  a  document  to 
the  marshal.  The  latter  glanced  at  it  and  looked  around. 
As  soon  as  his  eye  fell  upon  Ronald  he  nodded  to  him. 

"Here  is  the  judgment,"  he  said  in  alow  torie,  as  ha 
handed  him  the  paper.  "You  see  it  is  directed  to  the 
countess,  to  my  care.  I  suppose  you  v,'ill  start  with  it  at 
once." 

"Yes,  marshal;  the  horses  are  saddled  and  we  shall 
leave  immediately." 

"Don't  hurry  your  horses,"  the  rcarshal  said  with  a 
slight  smile;  "from  the  king's  maiiner  I  think  that  the 
contents  are  such  that  a  few  hours'  delay  in  the  delivery 
will  cause  the  countess  no  pain.     However,  I  do  not  an- 


BOWms  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  191 

ticipate  anything  very  harsh.  In  the  first  place,  although 
the  king  is  swayed  by  favorites  who  work  on  his  preju- 
dices, his  intention  is  always  to  be  just;  and  in  the  second 
place,  after  granting  the  release  of  your  parents  as  a  boon 
to  me  he  can  scarcely  annul  the  boon  by  any  severe  sen- 
tence. Will  you  tell  the  countess  from  nie  that  I  am 
wholly  at  her  service,  and  that,  should  any  opportunity 
offer,  she  may  be  sure  that  I  will  do  what  I  can  to  incline 
the  king  favorably  toward  her.  Lastly,  Leslie,  take  care 
of  yourself.  The  change  in  the  king's  manner  shows  that 
you  have  powerful  enemies,  and  now  that  you  have  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  your  parents'  freedom  you  have  become 
dangerous.  Remember  the  attack  that  was  made  upon 
you  before,  when  there  seemed  but  little  chance  that  yon 
would  ever  succeed  in  obtaining  their  release  or  in  seriously 
threatening  the  interests  of  those  who  were  looking  forward 
to  the  reversion  of  the  family  estates.  Their  enmity  now, 
when  it  only  needs  .  change  in  the  king's  mood  to  do  jus- 
tice to  your  parents,  will  be  far  greater  than  before. 

"Bid  your  father,  too,  to  have  a  care  for  himself  and 
your  mother.  Eemeraber  that  violence  is»common  enough, 
and  there  are  few  inquiries  made.  An  attack  upon  a  lonely 
house  and  the  murder  of  those  within  it  is  naturally  put 
down  as  the  act  of  some  party  of  discharged  soldiers  or 
other  ruffians.  Tell  him  therefore  he  had  best  get  a  fev/ 
trusty  men  around  him,  and  be  on  guard  night  and  day 
against  a  treacherous  attack.  Those  who  stand  in  the 
way  of  powerful  men  in  Franccseldom  live  long,  so  he  can- 
2iot  be  too  careful." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  Ronald  was  on  horseback. 
He  had  already  provided  himself  with  a  pass  to  leave  the 
city  after  the  usual  hour  of  closing  the  gates,  and  he  and 
Malcolm  were  soon  in  the  open  country.  As  they  rode 
along  Ronald  repeated  the  warning  that  the  marshal  had 
given  him. 


J98  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"He  is  qnite  right,  Eonald,  and  you  cannot  be  too  care- 
fnl.  We  have  against  us,  first,  this  vindictive  Due  de 
Chateauronge,  who,  no  doubt,  has  poisoned  the  king's 
mind.  In  all  France  there  is  no  one  whom  I  would  not 
rather  have  as  a  foe.  He  is  powerful,  unscrupulous,  and 
vindictive;  he  would  hesitate  at  nothing  to  carry  out  any- 
thing on  which  he  had  set  his  mind,  and  would  think  no 
more  of  obtaining  the  removal  of  one  whom  he  considered 
to  stand  in  his  way  than  of  crushing  a  worm.  Even  as  a 
young  man  he  had  a  villainous  reputation,  and  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  dangerous  men  about  the  court.  To 
do  him  justice,  he  is  brave  and  a  fine  swordsman,  and  for 
choice  he  would  rather  slay  with  his  own  hands  those  who 
offend  him  than  by  other  means.  Though  he  was  but 
three-and-twenty  at  the  time  I  first  left  France  he  had 
fought  half-a-dozen  duels  and  killed  as  many  men,  and 
several  others  who  were  known  to  have  offended  him  died 
suddenly.  Some  were  killed  in  street  brawls,  returning 
home  at^night,  one  or  two  were  suspected  of  having  been 
poisoned.  Altogether  the  man  was  feared  and  hated  in 
those  days,  although,  of  course,  none  spoke  their  suspicions 
openly. 

"From  what  I  have  heard  those  suspicions  have  stuck 
to  him  ever  since.  He  has  not  been  engaged  in  many 
duels,  because  in  the  first  place  edicts  against  dueling  are 
very  strict,  and  in  the  second  because  his  reputation  as  a 
swordsman  is  so  great  that  few  would  ri'k  their  lives 
against  him.  Still  all  who  stood  in  his  way  have  somehow 
or  other  come  to  a  sudden  end.  We  must  therefore  be  on 
our  guard  night  and  day.  He  is,  of  course,  your  most 
dangerous  foe;  but  besides  him  must  be  numbered  fill 
those  v/ho  hope  to  obtain  your  mother's  estates.  The 
heirs  of  the  marquis  doubtless  feel  perfectly  safe  from 
iaterference.     There  is  no  chance  whatever  of  the  king 


BONNIE  PRINVE  CHARLIE.  193 

dispossessing  them  in  favor  of  a  foreigner,  so  we  need  not 
count  them  among  yonr  foes. 

"It  is  just  as  well,  Eonald,  that  we  started  to-nighfc 
instead  of  waiting  till  to-morrow.  The  duke  is  pretty  cer- 
tain to  learn  that  the  king's  answer  will  be  sent  this  even- 
ing, and  may  possibly  have  made  preparations  for  yon  on 
the  road ;  but  he  will  hardly  expect  that  you  will  start 
before  the  morning.  However,  in  order  to  be  on  the  safe 
side  I  propose  that  we  shall  presently  turn  off  from  the 
main  road  and  avoid  all  large  towns  on  our  way  down  to 
Poitiers." 

"  Do  you  think  the  danger  is  as  great  as  that,  Malcoim?" 

"I  do  not  think  there  is  much  danger,  Ronald,  just  at 
present,  though  I  do  in  the  future." 

Traveling  by  by-ways  Eonaid  and  Malcolm  arrived  at 
Poitiers  without  adventure. 

"I  have  brought  you  the  king's  answer,  mother,"  Eonald 
said  as  he  alighted ;  "  but  before  you  open  it  I  may  tell 
you  that  it  is  unfavorable,  though  I  am  ignorant  of  the 
precise  nature  of  its  contents.  But  you  must  not  be  dis- 
appointed. Marshal  Saxe  bade  me  tell  you  that  he  con- 
siders his  honor  engaged  in  seeing  you  righted,  and  that 
whenever  an  opportunity  occurs  he  will  endeavor  to  move 
the  king's  mind  in  your  favor.     How  is  my  father?" 

"He  suffers  grievously  from  rheumatism,  Eonald,  and 
can  scarce  move  from  his  couch." 

As  soon  as  they  joined  the  colonel  the  countess  opened 
the  king's  letter.  It  was  brief.  "The  Countess  Amelia 
de  Recarabours  is  hereby  ordered  to  withdraw  at  once  to 
her  estate  of  La  Grenouille  and  there  to  av/ait  the  king's 
pleasure  concerning  her." 

The  king's  signature  was  affixed. 

"  Well,  that  is  not  so  very  bad,"  the  countess  said.  "At 
any  rate  my  right  to  one  of  my  mother's  estates  is  recog- 
nized.    Iia  Grenouille  is  the  smallest  of  them,  and  contains 


194  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

but  three  or  four  farms.  Still  that  will  suffice  for  on/ 
"wants,  and  as  it  lies  but  twenty  miles  from  Bordeaux  the 
air  will  be  warm  and  soft  for  you,  Angus." 

"Is  there  a  chateau  on  it,  mother?" 

"Yes,  there  is  a  small  chateau.  I  was  there  once  as  a 
girl.  It  has  never  been  modernized,  but  is  still  a  castle 
such  as  it  was  two  hundred  years  ago." 

"All  the  better,"  Bonald  said;  and  he  then  gave  Mal- 
colm's reasons  for  their  being  on  the  watch  against  any 
sudden  attack. 

"He  is  quite  right,  Ronald,"  Colonel  Leslie  said.  "The 
duke  is  capable  of  anything.  However,  we  will  be  on  our 
guard,  and  if,  as  your  mother  says,  it  is  a  fortified  house, 
we  need  have  no  fear  of  any  sudden  attack." 

"I  would  suggest,  colonel,  that  I  should  ride  to  Tours," 
Malcolm  said,  "and  hire  two  of  the  men  who  escorted 
madam's  carriage.  They  have  served  in  the  wars  and 
can  be  relied  upon.  They  would  not  need  high  wages, 
for  most  of  the  discharged  soldiers  have  trouble  enough  to 
keep  body  and  soul  together.  With  a  couple  of  men  of 
this  kind,  and  two  or  three  of  the  men  on  the  estate,  I 
think,  colonel,  you  need  fear  no  sudden  attack." 

The  colonel  approved  of  the  suggestion,  and  a  week 
later,  Malcolm  having  returned  with  the  two  men,  a  car- 
riage was  hired  to  convey  the  colonel  and  his  wife,  and  so 
they  journeyed  quietly  down  to  La  Grenouille.  On  arriv- 
ing there  they  found  that  they  were  expected,  the  old 
steward  in  charge  having  received  a  letter  from  the  royal 
chancellor,  saying  that  he  was  to  receive  the  countess  as 
the  owner  of  the  estate. 

The  old  man,  who  had  known  her  mother  well  and  re- 
membered her  visits  as  a  child,  received  the  countess  with 
respectful  joy.  The  chateau  was,  as  Amelie  had  said, 
really  a  castle.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  moat  filled  with 
water,  from  which  the  walls  rose  abruptly,  with  no  win- 


BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE.  195 

dows  in  the  lower  stones  and  only  small  loopholes  in  those 
above.  Although  the  steward  was  ignorant  when  his  mis- 
tress might  be  expected  he  had  already  caused  great  fires 
to  be  lighted  in  all  the  rooms  and  had  temporarily  engaged 
two  of  the  farmer's  daughters  to  wait  upon  the  countess, 
and  three  stout  men  as  servitors. 

"What  are  the  revenues  of  the  estate?"  the  countess 
asked  the  steward  that  evening.  "My  mother's  other 
estates  have  not  been  restored  to  me  as  yet,  and  I  have 
only  this  to  depend  upon,  and  I  do  not  know  what  estab- 
lishment I  can  afford  to  keep  up." 

"The  revenue  amounts  to  twelve  thousand  francs,"  he 
said.  "There  are  three  large  farms  and  four  small  ones. 
Twelve  thousand  francs  are  not  much,  countess,  for  your 
mother's  daughter;  but  they  go  a  long  way  here,  where 
one  can  live  for  next  to  nothing.  We  have  a  garden  which 
will  provide  all  the  fruit  and  vegetables  you  require,  and 
your  poultry  will  cost  you  nothing.  The  vineyard  attached 
to  the  chatean  furnishes  more  than  enough  wine,  and  the 
cellars  are  well  filled,  for  every  year  I  have  put  aside  a  few 
barrels,  so  that  in  fact  it  will  be  only  meat  you  have  to 
buy." 

"So  that  yon  think  I  can  keep  the  two  men  I  have 
brought  with  me  and  the  servants  you  have  engaged?" 

"Easily,  madam,  and  more  if  you  wished  it." 

"Do  you  think  five  men  will  be  sufficient?"  the  countess 
said.  "I  ask  because  I  have  powerful  enemies,  and  in 
these  lawless  times  an  attack  upon  a  lonely  house  might 
well  be  carried  out."  ^ 

"With  the  drawbridge  drawn  up,  madam,  five  men  could 
hold  the  chateau  against  a  score,  and  the  sound  of  the 
alarm  bell  would  bring  all  the  tenants  and  their  men  down 
to  your  assistance.  I  will  answer  for  them  all.  There 
were  great  rejoicings  last  week  when  I  sent  around  the 
news   that    you    were   expected.     The   memory   of    your 


196  BONNIE  PRINCE  CEABLIE. 

mother,  who  once  resided  here  for  a  year,  is  very  dear  to 
all  of  us,  and  there  is  not  a  man  on  the  estate  bnt  would 
take  up  arms  in  yonr  defense.  The  sonnd  of  the  alarm 
bell  would  bring  thirty  stout  fellows,  at  least,  to  your  aid.^ 

"Then  we  need  not  trouble  on  that  score,  Amelie,"  the 
colonel  said  cheerfully.  "Malcolm  will  see  to  the  draw- 
bridge to-morrow;  probably  it  has  not  been  raised  for 
years." 

"I  have  already  been  examining  it,"  Malcolm — who  had 
just  entered  the  room — said.  "It  only  needs  a  little  oil 
and  a  bolt  or  two.  I  will  have  it  raised  to-night.  Tilings 
look  better  than  I  expected,  colonel,  and  I  shall  be  able  to 
return  to  Paris  without  having  any  anxiety  upon  your 
score." 

'*But  you  are  not  thinking  of  going  back,  Eonald?"  the 
countess  asked  anxiously.  "If  there  is  danger  here  for 
us,  there  must  be  surely  danger  for  you  in  Paris.  And  I 
want  you  here  with  us." 

"I  will  stop  for  a  few  days,  mother,  and  then  Malcolm 
and  I  will  be  off.  As  I  have  Marshal  Saxe's  protection  I 
need  fear  no  open  enmity  from  any  one,  and  as  I  shall  be 
with  the  regiment  I  shall  be  safe  from  secret  attacks; 
besides,  my  sword  can  guard  my  head." 

"You  have  taught  him  to  defend  himself— eh,  Mal- 
colm?" Colonel  Leslie  said. 

"I,"  Malcolm  repeated — "I  can  use  my  sword  in  a  melee, 
colonel,  as  you  know,  and  hold  my  own  against  Dutchman 
or  German  when  I  meet  them  on  the  field;  but  Eonald  is 
a  different  blade  altogether.  He  was  well  tanght  in  Glas- 
gow, and  has  practiced  under  the  best  maitres-d'armes  in 
Paris  since,  and  I  am  proud  to  say  that  I  do  not  think 
there  are  ten  men  in  France  against  whom  he  could  not 
hold  his  own." 

"That  is  good,  that  is  good,  indeed,"  the  colonel  said, 
delighted.     "  Malcolm,  I  feel  my  obligations  to  you  more 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  197 

and  more  every  day.  Truly  I  had  never  even  hoped  that 
if  my  son  were  ever  to  be  restored  to  me,  I  should  have 
such  cause  to  be  proud  of  him." 

"But  why  do  you  think  you  had  better  return  to  Paris, 
Ronald?"  his  mother  inquired. 

"Because,  mother,  it  will  not  do  to  let  your  enemies 
have  entirely  their  own  way  now  that  you  have  been  so 
far  restored.  Doubtless  your  family  will  be  the  more  in- 
clined to  aid  you  with  their  influence,  but  there  must  be 
somebody  to  urge  them  to  do  so." 

"Besides,  Araelie,"  the  colonel  put  in,  "we  must  not 
cage  the  lad  here  at  your  apron-strings.  He  has  already 
won  Saxe's  regard  and  protection  by  his  conduct  in  the 
field,  and  can  now  accept  a  commission  in  the  old  regi- 
ment. He  has  begun  well,  and  may  yet  live  to  command 
it.  No,  no,  my  love.  I  should  like  to  keep  him  here  as 
much  as  you  would,  but  in  every  way  it  is  better  that  he 
should  go  out  and  take  his  place  in  the  world.  To  you 
and  me,  after  our  long  imprisonment,  this  place  is  life, 
freedom,  and  happiness,  and  we  are  together;  but  for  him 
it  is  a  dreary  little  country  chateau,  and  he  would  soon 
long  for  a  life  among  men." 

And  so,  after  three  weeks'  stay  at  the  chateau,  Ronald 
and  Malcolm  rode  back  to  Paris,  and  the  former  received 
a  week  later  a  commission  through  Marshal  Saxe  in  the 
Scottish  Dragoons.  That  regiment  had  returned  from 
the  frontier,  and  Rnnald  at  once  took  his  place  in  its 
ranks,  and  was  heartily  received  by  all  the  officers,  to 
whom  he  was  formally  introduced  by  Colonel  Hume  as  the 
son  of  their  former  commanding  officer. 

A  short  time  afterward  it  became  the  turn  of  duty  of 
the  Scottish  Dragoons  to  furnish  guards  for  a  week  at 
Versailles,  and  Colonel  Hume  took  down  two  troops  for 
that  purpose.  That  to  which  Ronald  belonged  was  one  of 
them.     Ronald,  knowing  that  for  the  present  he  was  not 


19S  BOJ^NIE  PBINGE  CHARLIE. 

in  favor  with  the  king,  begged  the  colonel  to  put  him  on 
dutj/  as  often  as  possible,  so  that  he  might  avoid  the  neces- 
sity of  being  present  at  the  king's  audiences  with  the 
other  officers. 

He  was  one  day  walking  with  the  colonel  and  several 
other  officers  in  the  grounds  at  a  distance  from  the  palace, 
when  they  came,  at  the  turn  of  the  walk,  upon  the  Due 
de  Chateaurouge  and  three  other  gentlemen  of  the  court. 
The  former  stopped  abruptly  before  Colonel  Hume. 

"I  had  the  honor,  Colonel  Hume,  to  speak  to  you  some 
time  since  of  a  volunteer  in  your  regiment  who  chose  to 
call  himself  by  the  name  of  Leslie.  I  understand  he  is 
now  an  officer.  I  see  by  the  lists  in  the  courtyard  that  a 
Cornet  Leslie  is  now  on  duty  here.  Where  does  he  hide 
himself,  for  I  have  been  seeking  in  vain  to  meet  him?" 

"Cornet  Leslie  is  not  one  to  balk  any  man's  desire  that 
way,"  Colonel  Hume  said  gravely.  "This  is  Cornet 
Leslie." 

Eonald  stepped  forward  and  looked  the  duke  calmly  in 
the  face. 

"So  this  is  the  young  cockerel,"  the  duke  said  con- 
teraptuonsly.  "A  worthy  son  of  a  worthy  father,  I  doubt 
not." 

"At  any  rate,  my  lord  duke,"  Eonald  said  quietly,  "I 
do  not  rid  myself  of  my  foes  by  getting  those  I  am  afraid 
to  meet  as  man  to  man  thrown  into  prison,  nor  by  setting 
midnight  assassins  upon  them.  Nor  do  I  rely  ripon  my 
skill  as  a  swordsman  to  be  a  bully  and  a  coward." 

The  duke  started  as  if  struck. 

"I  had  made  up  ray  mind  to  kill  you,  young  sir,"  he 
said,  "sooner  or  later;  but  you  have  brought  it  on  your- 
self now.     Draw,  sir!"     And  the  duke  drew  his  sword. 

Colonel  Hume  and  several  others  threw  tlieraselves 
before  Eonald. 

"Put  up  your  sword,  sir.     Dueling  is  forbiddeUj  and 


BONNIE  PRINCE  GHARLTE.  183 

yon  know  the  conseqnence  of  drawing  within  the  precincts 
of  the  palace." 

"What  care  I  for  ordinances!"  the  duke  said  furiously. 
"Stand  aside,  gentlemen,  lest  I  do  you  harm!" 

"Harm  or  no  harm,"  Colonel  Hume  said  sternly,  "my 
young  friend  shall  not  fight  in  the  palace  grounds.  I  pro- 
test against  his  being  forced  into  a  duel  at  all;  but  at  any 
rate  he  shall  not  fight  here." 

The  duke  looked  for  a  moment  as  if  he  was  about  to 
spring  upon  Colonel  Hume,  but  he  saw  by  their  faces  that 
his  companions  also  were  against  him.  For  the  conse- 
quences of  drawing  a  sword  within  the  precincts  of  a 
palace  were  so  serions  that  even  the  most  powerful  nobles 
shrank  from  braving  them. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said  at  last,  thrusting  his  sword  back 
into  its  scabbard.  "It  is  but  ten  minutes'  walk  to  the 
boundary  wall,  I  will  let  him  live  till  then." 

So  saying  he  started  off  with  rapid  strides  down  the 
"walk,  followed  at  a  slower  pace  by  the  rest. 


200  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE, 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE   END   OF   THE   QUARKEL. 

This  is  a  serious  business,  Leslie,"  the  colonel  said  in  a 
low  voice.  "If  it  \\?A  been  any  one  but  you  I  should  have 
ordered  him  to  the  barracks  at  once  under  pain  of  arrest, 
and  have  laid  the  matter  before  the  king,  for  it  would  have 
been  nothing  short  of  murder.  But  I  can  trust  you  to 
hold  your  own  even  against  the  Duke  of  Chateaurouge. 
And,  in  truth,  after  what  has  been  said,  I  do  not  see  that 
you  can  do  other  but  meet  him." 

"I  would  not  avoid  it  if  I  could,"  Eonald  said.  "His 
insults  to  me  do  not  disturb  me;  but  I  have  my  father's 
wrongs  to  avenge." 

"Forbes,"  the  colonel  said  to  one  of  the  other  officers, 
"do  you  go  straight  to  the  barracks,  bid  Leslie's  man  sad- 
dle his  own  horse  and  his  master's  instantly,  and  bring 
them  round  outside  the  wall  of  the  park.  If  Leslie  wounds 
or  kills  his  man  he  will  have  to  ride  for  it." 

The  officer  at  once  hurried  away. 

"Eonald,  I  will  tell  you  a  piece  of  news  I  heard  this 
morning.  The  young  chevalier  left  Paris  secretly  five 
days  ago,  and  I  have  received  certain  private  information 
this  morning  that  he  has  gone  to  Nantes,  and  that  he  is 
on  the  point  of  sailing  for  Scotland  on  his  own  account. 
I  am  told  that  this  plan  of  his  is  known  to  but  five  or  six 
persons.  If  you  get  safely  through  this  business  mount 
and  ride  thither  at  all  speed.     They  are  more  likely  to 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  201 

pnrsne  yon  toward  the  frontier  or  the  northern  ports,  and 
will  not  think  you  have  made  for  Nantes.  If  you  get 
there  before  the  prince  has  sailed,  present  yourself  to  him 
and  join  his  expedition.  The  king  will  he  furious  at  first, 
both  at  the  loss  of  his  favorite  aud  the  breaking  of  the 
edicts;  but  he  must  come  round.  The  gentlemen  here 
with  the  duke  are  all  honorable  men,  aud  were,  I  could 
see,  shocked  at  the  insult  which  the  duke  passed  on  you. 
Therefore  I  can  rely  upon  them  to  join  me  in  representing 
the  matter  in  its  true  light  to  the  king.  Before  you  re- 
turn the  matter  will  have  blown  over,  aud  it  may  be  that 
the  removal  of  your  father's  most  powerful  enemy  may 
facilitate  an  arrangement.  In  any  case,  my  dear  boy,  you 
can  rely  upon  the  marshal  aud  myself  to  look  after  your 
interests." 

They  had  now  reached  a  wicket-gate  in  the  wall  of  the 
park.  The  duke  was  staudiug  a  few  paces  distant, 
having  already  removed  his  coat  and  turned  up  the  shirt 
sleeve  of  the  sword-arm. 

"You  will  act  as  ray  second,  marquis?"  he  said  to  one 
of  the  gentlemen. 

The  latter  bowed  coldly. 

"I  act  as  second  to  my  friend  Leslie,"  Colonel  Hume 
said.  "And  i  call  upou  you  ail,  gentlemen,  to  bear  wit- 
ness in  the  future,  that  this  encounter  has  been  wantonly 
forced  upon  him  by  the  Due  de  Chateaurouge,  and  that 
Cornet  Leslie,  as  a  man  of  honor,  has  no  alternative  what- 
ever but  to  accept  the  challenge  forced  upon  him." 

Konald  had  by  this  time  stripped  to  his  shirt  sleeves. 
The  seconds  took  tlie  two  swords  and  compared  their 
length.  They  were  found  to  be  as  nearly  as  possible  the 
eame.  They  were  then  returned  to  their  owners.  A  piece 
of  even  turf  was  selected,  and  a  position  chosen  in  which 
the  light  was  equally  favorable  to  both  parties.  Then 
both  fell  into  position  on  guard,  and  as  the  rapiers  crossed 
Colonel  Hume  said  solemnly : 


202  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"May  God  defend  the  right!" 

An  instant  later  they  were  engaged  in  deadly  confliot. 
It  lasted  but  a  few  seconds.  The  duke,  conscious  of  his 
own  skill,  and  believing  that  he  had  but  a  lad  to  deal  with, 
at  once  attacked  eagerly,  desirous  of  bringiug  the  contest 
to  a  termination  before  there  was  any  chance  of  interrup- 
tion. He  attacked,  then,  carelessly  and  eagerly,  and  made 
a  furious  lunge  which  he  thought  would  terminate  the 
encounter  at  once;  but  Konald  did  not  give  way  an  inch, 
but  parrying  in  carte,  slipped  his  blade  round  that  of  the 
duke,  feinted  in  tierce,  and  then  rapidly  disengaging, 
Innged  in  carte  as  before.  The  blade  passed  through  the 
body  of  his  adversary,  and  the  lunge  was  given  with  such 
force  that  the  pommel  of  his  sword  struck  against  the 
ribs.  The  duke  fell  an  inert  mass  upon  the  ground  as 
Eonald  withdrew  the  rapier. 

An  exclamation  of  surprise  and  alarm  broke  from  the 
three  gentlemen  who  had  accompanied  the  duke,  while 
Colonel  Hume  said  gravely: 

"God  has  protected  the  right.  Ah!  here  come  the 
horses!  Mount  and  ride,  Leslie,  and  do  not  spare  the 
spurs.  I  should  advise  you,"  he  said,  drawing  him  aside, 
"to  take  the  northern  route  for  a  few  miles,  so  as  to  throw 
them  off  the  scent.  When  you  get  to  Nantes  search  the  inns 
till  you  find  the  Duke  of  Athole,  he  is  an  intimate  friend 
of  mine,  and  it  was  from  him  I  learned  in  strict  secrecy  of 
the  prince's  intentions.  Show  him  this  ring,  he  knows  it 
well,  and  tell  him  I  sent  you  to  join  him;  say  nothing  at 
jirst  as  to  this  business  here.  Your  own  name  and  my 
name  will  be  enough.  He  will  introduce  you  to  Prince 
Charlie,  who  will  be  with  him  under  a  disguised  name. 
May  God  bless  you,  my  lad.  We  will  do  our  best  for  you 
here." 

At  this  moment  Malcolm  arrived  with  the  two  horsp°. 

°'^ Thank  God  you  are  safe,  Ronald!"  be  exclaimed  as 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  203 

Eonald  leaped  into  his  saddle  and  with  a  word  of  thanks 
and  adien  to  the  colonel  dashed  off  at  full  speed. 

Colonel  Hume  then  rejoined  the  group  gathered  round 
the  duke.  The  Scottish  officers  were  looking  very  grave, 
the  courtiers  even  more  so.  They  had  from  the  first  rec- 
ognized fully  that  the  duel  had  Taeen  provoked  by  the 
duke,  and  had  accompanied  him  reluctantly,  for  they 
regarded  the  approaching  conflict  as  so  unfair  that  it  would 
excite  a  strong  amount  of  feeling  against  all  who  had  a 
hand  in  the  matter.  As  to  the  edict  against  dueling,  it 
had  not  concerned  them  greatly,  as  they  felt  sure  that 
with  the  duke's  influence  the  breach  of  the  law  would  be 
passed  over  with  only  a  show  of  displeasure  on  the  part  of 
the  king,  and  an  order  to  absent  themselves  for  a  short 
time  from  court.  The  contingency  that  this  young  Scot- 
tish officer,  who  had  scarcely  yet  attained  the  age  of  man- 
hood, should  kill  one  of  the  best  swordsmen  in  France  had 
not  occurred  to  them;  but  this  had  happened,  and  there 
could  be  no  doubt  that  the  king's  anger,  alike  at  the  loss 
of  his  favorite  and  at  the  breach  of  the  law,  would  fall 
heavily  on  all  concerned,  and  that  a  prolonged  exile  from 
court  was  the  least  evil  they  could  expect.  Not  a  word 
had  been  spoken  after  they  had,  on  stooping  over  the 
duke,  found  that  death  had  been  instantaneous,  until  Colo- 
nel Hume  joined  them. 

"Well,  gentlemen,"  he  said;  "this  is  a  bad  business, 
and  means  trouble  for  us  all.  His  majesty  will  be  vastly 
angry.  However,  the  duke  brought  it  upon  himself,  and 
is  the  only  person  to  blame.  His  character  is  pretty  well 
known,  and  it  will  be  manifest  that  if  he  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  fight  no  remonstrance  on  your  part  would  have 
availed  to  induce  him  to  abstain  from  doing  so.  At  the 
same  time  the  king  will  not,  in  the  first  burst  of  his  anger, 
take  that  into  consideration,  and  for  awhile  we  shall  no 
doubt  all  of  us  suffer  from  his  displeasure;  but  I  do  not 


ilQ4:  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

think  that  it  will  be  lasting.  The  dnke  forced  on  the 
duel,  and  would  have  fought  within  the  royal  park  had  we 
not  interfered,  and  we  were  in  a  way  forced  to  be  present. 
I  propose  that  we  return  to  the  palace  and  give  notice  of 
•what  has  occnrred.  Captain  Forbes,  as  you  were  not 
present  at  the  affair,  and  will  not  therefore  be  called  upon 
to  give  any  account  of  it,  will  you  remain  here  until  they 
send  down  to  fetch  the  body? 

"We  will,  if  you  please,  gentlemen,  walk  slowly,  for 
every  mile  that  Leslie  can  put  between  him  and  Versailles 
is  very  important.  The  news  will  reach  the  king's  ears 
very  shortly  after  we  have  made  it  public.  You  and  I, 
marquis,  as  the  seconds  in  the  affair,  are  sure  to  he  sent 
for  first.  As,  fortunately,  we  were  both  present  at  the 
quarrel  we  are  both  in  a  position  to  testify  that  the  duke 
brought  his  fate  upon  himself,  that  there  was  no  prevent- 
ing the  duel,  and  that  had  we  refused  to  act  he  was  in  a 
frame  of  mind  which  would  have  driven  him  to  fight 
without  seconds  if  none  had  been  forthcoming;  lastly,  we 
can  testify  that  the  combat  was  a  fair  one,  and  that  the 
duke  fell  in  consequence  of  the  rashness  of  his  attack  and 
his  contempt  for  his  adversary,  although  in  point  of  fact 
I  can  tell  you  that  young  Leslie  is  so  good  a  swordsman 
that  T  am  confident  the  result  would  in  any  case  have 
been  the  same." 

"I  suppose  there's  nothing  else  for  it,"  the  marquis 
grumbled.  "I  must  prepare  myself  for  a  prolonged  visit 
to  my  country  estates." 

"And  I  shall  no  doubt  be  placed  under  arrest  for  some 
time,"  Colonel  Hume  said;  "and  the  regiment  will  prob- 
ably be  packed  off  to  the  frontier  again.  However,  these 
things  don't  make  much  difference  in  the  long  run.  What 
I  am  most  anxious  about,  marquis,  is  that  his  majesty 
should  thoroughly  comprehend  that  Leslie  was  not  to 
blame,  and  that  this  affair  was  so  forced  upon  him  that  it 


BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE.  205 

was  impossible  for  him  to  avoid  it.  There  is  much  more 
than  the  lad's  own  safety  dependent  on  this." 

"Yon  may  be  sure,  colonel,  that  I  will  do  him  justice." 

At  a  slow  pace  the  party  proceeded  until  they  neared 
the  palace,  when  they  quickened  their  steps.  The  mar- 
quis proceeded  immediately  to  the  apartments  occupied  by 
the  duke,  and  told  his  domestics  that  their  master  had 
been  killed  in  a  duel,  and  directed  them  to  obtain  assist- 
ance and  proceed  at  once  to  the  spot  where  his  body  would 
be  found.  The  colonel  went  to  the  king's  surgeon,  and 
told  him  of  what  had  taken  phice. 

"His  death  v/as  instantaneous,"  he  said;  "the  sword 
passed  right  through  him,  and  I  believe  touched  the  heart. 
However,  it  will  be  aa  well  that  you  should  go  and  see  the 
body,  as  the  king  will  be  sure  to  ask  particulars  as  to  the 
wound.'' 

The  rest  of  the  party  joined  their  acquaintances,  and 
told  them  what  had  happened  and  the  news  spread  quickly 
through  the  palace.  It  created  a  great  sensation.  Breaches 
of  the  edict  were  not  uufrequent;  but  the  death  of  so 
powerful  a  noble,  a  chief  favorite,  too,  of  the  king,  took 
it  altogether  out  of  the  ordinary  category  of  such  events. 
The  more  so  since  the  duke's  reputation  as  a  swordsman 
and  a  duelist  was  so  great  that  men  could  scarce  believe 
that  he  had  been  killed  by  a  young  officer  who  had  but 
just  joined  his  regiment.  It  seemed  like  the  story  of 
David  and  Goliath  over  again.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  later 
a  court  official  approached  Colonel  Hume  and  the  Marquis 
de  Vallecourt,  who  were  standing  together  surrounded  by 
a  number  of  courtiers  and  officers. 

"  Monsieur  le  Marquis  and  Colonel  Hume,"  he  said, 
saluting  them;  "I  regret  to  say  that  I  am  the  bearer  of 
the  orders  of  his  majesty  that  you  shall  deliver  me  your 
swords,  and  that  you  will  then  accompany  me  to  the  king's 
presenco." 


g06  BONmE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

The  two  gentlemen  handed  over  their  swords  to  the 
official,  and  followed  him  to  the  king's  presence.  Louis 
was  pacing  angrily  np  and  down  his  apartment. 

"What  is  this  I  hear,  gentlemen?"  he  exclaimed  as  they 
entered.  "A  breach  of  the  edicts  here  at  Versailles,  almost 
in  the  boundaries  of  the  park;  and  that  the  Due  de  Cha- 
teanronge,  one  of  my  most  valued  officers  and  friends,  has 
been  killed ;  they  tell  me  that  you  acted  as  seconds  in  the 
afiair." 

"They  have  told  your  majesty  the  truth,"  the  marquis 
said;  "but  I  think  that,  much  as  we  regret  what  has  hap- 
pened, we  could  scarcely  have  acted  otherwise  than  we  did. 
The  duke  drew  in  the  first  place  within  the  limits  of  the 
park,  and  would  have  fought  oat  his  quarrel  there  had  we 
not,  I  may  almost  say  forcibly,  intervened.  Then  he 
strode  away  toward  the  boundary  of  the  park,  calling 
upon  his  antagonist  to  follow  him;  and  had  we  not  gone 
the  encounter  would  have  taken  place  without  seconds  or 
witnesses,  and  might  then  have  been  called  a  murder 
instead  of  a  duel." 

"  You  should  have  arrested  him,  sir,"  the  king  exclaimed, 
"for  drawing  in  the  park." 

"Perhaps  we  should  have  done  so,  sire;  but  you  must 
please  to  remember  that  the  Duke  of  Chateaurouge  was  of 
a  temper  not  to  be  crossed,  and  I  believe  that  bloodshed 
would  have  taken  place  had  we  endeavored  to  thwart  him. 
He  enjoyed  your  majesty's  favor,  and  a  forcible  arrest, 
with  perhaps  the  shedding  of  blood,  in  the  royal  demesne 
would  have  been  a  scandal  as  grave  as  that  of  this  duel." 

"How  did  it  come  about?"  the  king  asked  abruptly. 

"The  duke  was  walking  with  De  Lisle,  St.  Aignan,  and 
myself,  when  we  suddenly  came  upon  Colonel  Hume  with 
three  of  the  officers  of  his  regiment.  The  duke  at  once 
Walked  up  to  them  and  addressed  Colonel  Hume,  and 
finding  which  of  his  companions  was  Monsieur  Leslie,  ad- 


BONNIE  FRINOE  GHARLIK  207 

di'essed  him  in  terms  of  so  insulting  a  nature  that  they 
slio^ed  that  he  had  been  waiting  for  the  meeting  to  pro- 
Yoke  a  quarrel.  The  young  officer  replied  perfectly  calmly, 
bnt  with  what  I  must  call  admirable  spirit  and  courage, 
which  so  infuriated  the  duke,  that,  as  I  have  already  had 
the  honor  of  telling  your  majesty,  he  drew  at  once,  and 
when  we  interfered  he  called  upon  him  to  proceed  forth- 
with outside  the  park,  and  there  settle  the  quarrel.  We 
most  reluctantly  accompanied  him,  and  determined  to  in- 
terfere at  the  first  blood  drawn;  but  the  affair  scarcely 
lasted  for  a  second.  The  duke  threw  himself  furiously 
and  rashly  upon  the  lad,  for,  as  your  majesty  is  aware,  he 
is  but  little  more.  The  latter,  standing  firm,  parried  with 
admirable  coolness,  and  in  an  instant  ran  the  duke  right 
through  the  body." 

"But  I  have  always  heard,"  the  king  said,  "that  the 
duke  was  one  of  the  best  swordsmen  in  the  army." 

"Your  majesty  has  heard  correctly,"  Colonel  Hume  re- 
plied; "but  young  Leslie  is  one  of  the  best  swordsmen  in 
France.  The  duke's  passion  and  rashness  led  to  the  speedy 
termination  of  the  duel;  but  had  he  fought  with  his  ac- 
customed coolness  I  believe  that  Leslie  would  have  turned 
out  his  conqueror." 

"But  what  was  the  cause  of  the  quarrel?  Why  should 
the  Due  de  Cliateaurouge  fix  a  dispute,  as  you  tell  me  he 
did,  upon  this  officer  of  yours?" 

"I  believe,  sire,  that  it  was  a  long-standing  quarrel. 
The  duke's  words  showed  that  he  bore  an  enmity  against 
the  lad's  father,  and  that  it  was  on  this  account  that  he 
insulted  the  son." 

"Leslie!"  the  king  exclaimed,  with  a  sudden  recollec- 
tion. "Is  that  the  youth  whom  Marshal  Saxe  presented 
to  me?" 

"Tl>esame,  sire;  the  lad  who  distinguished  himself  at 
Fontenoy,  and  whom  the  marshal  afterward  appointed  to 


208  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

a  commission  in  my  regiment,  in  which  he  had  served  as  a 
gentleman  Yolunteer  for  nearly  a  year." 

"These  Leslies  are  always  causing  trouble,"  the  king 
said  angrily.  "I  have  already  given  orders  that  he  shall 
be  arrested  wherever  he  is  found,  and  he  shall  be  punished 
as  he  deserves." 

"In  punishing  him,"  Colonel  Hume  said  with  grave 
deference,  "I  am  sure  that  your  majesty  will  not  forget 
that  this  quarrel  was  forced  upon  him,  and  that,  had  he 
accepted  the  insults  of  the  Duke  of  Chateaurouge,  he 
would  have  been  unworthy  to  remain  an  officer  of  your 
majesty." 

"Silence,  sir!"  the  king  said  angrily.  "You  will  return 
immediately  to  Paris,  under  arrest,  until  my  pleasure  in 
your  case  is  notified  to  you.  I  shall  at  once  give  orders 
that  your  troops  here  are  replaced  by  those  of  a  regiment 
whose  officers  will  abstain  from  brawling  and  breaking  the 
edicts  in  our  very  palace.  Marquis,  you  will  retire  at  once 
to  your  estates."  The  two  gentlemen  bowed  and  left  the 
royal  presence. 

"Not  worse  than  I  expected,"  the  marquis  said,  after 
the  door  had  closed  behind  them.  "Now  he  will  send  for 
St.  Aignan  and  De  Lisle,  and  will  hear  their  account,  and 
as  it  cannot  but  tally  with  ours  the  king  must  see  that  the 
duke  brought  his  fate  upon  himself.  Louis  is  not  unjust 
when  his  temper  cools  down,  and  in  a  few  weeks  we  shall 
meet  again  here." 

"I  expect  to  be  on  the  frontier  with  my  regiment  before 
that,"  Colonel  Hnme  replied;  "but  as  I  would  rather  be 
there  than  in  Paris  that  will  be  no  hardship," 

Colonel  Hume  at  once  mounted  and  rode  back  to  Paris 
and  proceefied  straight  to  the  hotel  of  Marshal  Saxe,  to 
whom  he  communicated  what  had  occurred. 

"If  Leslie  gets  safely  away  it  will,  perhaps,  all  turn  out 
for  the  best,"  the  marshal  said.     "As  soon  as  the  king's 


.BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE.  209 

anger  dies  out  I  will  begin  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  boy's 
parents;  and  now  that  the  inflnence  of  Chateaurouge  the 
other  way  is  withdrawn,  I  may  hope  for  a  more  favorable 
hearing.  As  to  the  lad  himself,  we  will  make  his  peace  in 
a  few  months.  The  king  is  brave  himself,  as  he  showed 
when  under  fire  at  Foutenoy,  and  he  admires  bravery  in 
others,  and  when  he  has  once  got  over  the  loss  of  Chateau- 
rouge  he  will  appreciate  the  skill  and  courage  which  the 
lad  showed  in  an  encounter  with  one  of  the  most  noted 
duelists  in  France.  Now,  too,  that  the  duke  has  gone, 
some  of  the  stories  to  his  disadvantage,  of  which  there  are 
so  many  current,  are  likely  to  meet  the  king's  ears. 
Hitherto  no  one  has  ventured  to  speak  a  word  against  so 
powerful  a  favorite;  but  the  king's  eyes  will  soon  be  open 
now,  and  he  will  become  ashamed  of  so  long  having  given 
his  countenance  to  a  man  who  is  generally  regarded  a? 
having  not  only  killed  half-a-dozen  men  in  duels,  but  as 
having  procured  the  removal,  by  unfair  means,  of  a  score 
of  others.  When  he  knows  the  truth  the  king  is  likely  to 
do  justice,  not  only  to  young  Leslie,  but  to  his  parents. 
I  only  hope  that  they  will  not  manage  to  overtake  the  lad 
before  he  reaches  the  frontier,  for  although  I  can  rely  on 
the  king's  justice  when  he  is  cool  I  would  not  answer  for 
it  just  at  present." 

As  Ronald  rode  off  at  full  speed  with  Malcolm  he  related 
to  him  the  whole  circumstances  of  the  quarrel  and  subsc 
quent  duel. 

"It  was  well  done,  Ronald.  I  made  sure  that  sooner  or 
later  you  and  the  duke  would  get  to  blows,  that  i.s  if  he 
did  not  adopt  other  means  to  get  you  removed  from  his 
path;  anyhow  I  am  heartily  glad  it's  over,  and  that  the 
most  dangerous  enemy  of  your  father  and  yourself  is  out 
of  tlio  way.  And  now  we  must  hope  that  we  sha'n't  be 
overtaken  before  we  get  to  the  frontier.  The  danger  is 
that  orders  for  your  arrest  will  be  passed  by  signal." 


glO  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"We  are  not  going  to  the  frontier,  Malcolm;  I  am  only 
riding  this  way  to  throw  them  off  the  scent.  We  are  going 
to  Nantes. 

"Well,  that's  not  a  bad  plan,"  Malcolm  said.  "They 
are  not  so  likely  to  send  orders  there  as  to  the  northern 
ports.  But  it  will  not  be  easy  to  get  a  vessel  to  cross,  for 
yon  see,  now  that  we  are  at  war  with  England,  there  is 
little  communication.  However,  we  shall  no  doubt  be 
able  to  arrange  with  a  smuggler  to  take  us  across." 

"We  are  not  going  to  England,  Malcolm;  we  are  going 
direct  to  Scotland.  Colonel  Hume  has  told  me  a  secret; 
Prince  Charles  has  gone  down  to  Nantes  and  is  going  to 
cross  at  once  to  Scotland." 

"What!  Alone  and  without  an  army!"  Malcolm  ex- 
claimed in  astonishment. 

"I  suppose  he  despairs  of  getting  assistance  from  Louis. 
Now  that  Foutenoy  has  put  an  end  to  danger  on  the  fron- 
tier the  King  of  France  is  no  longer  interested  in  raising' 
trouble  for  George  at  home." 

"But  it  is  a  mad  scheme  of  the  prince's,"  Malcolm  said 
gravely.  "If  his  father  did  not  succeed  in  '15  how  can  be» 
expect  to  succeed  now?" 

"The  country  has  had  all  the  longer  time  to  get  sick  of 
the  Hanoverians,  and  the  gallantry  of  the  enterprise  will 
appeal  to  the  people.  Besides,  Malcolm,  I  am  not  so  sure 
that  he  will  not  do  better  coming  alone  than  if  he  brought 
the  fifteen  thousand  men  he  had  at  Dunkirk  last  year  with 
him.  Fifteen  thousand  men  would  not  win  him  a  king- 
dom, and  many  who  would  join  him  if  he  came  alone 
would  not  do  so  if  he  came  backed  by  an  army  of  for- 
eigners. It  was  the  French,  you  will  remember,  who 
ruined  his  grandfather's  cause  in  Ireland.  Their  arro- 
gance and  interference  disgusted  the  Irish,  and  their 
troops  never  did  any  fighting  to  speak  of.  For  myself,  I 
would  a  thousand  times  rather  follow  Prince  Charles  fight- 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  «11 

ing  with  an  army  of  Scotsmen  for  the  crown  of  Scotland 
than  fight  for  him  with  a  French  army  against  English- 
men." 

"Well,  perhaps  you  are  right,  Eonald;  it  went  against 
the  grain  at  Fontenoy;  for  after  all,  as  you  said,  we  are 
closely  akin  in  blood  and  language  to  the  English,  and 
although  Scotland  and  France  have  always  been  allies  it  is 
very  little  good  France  has  ever  done  us.  She  has  always 
been  glad  enough  to  get  our  kings  to  make  war  on  England 
whenever  she  wanted  a  diversion  made,  but  she  has  never 
put  herself  out  of  the  way  to  return  the  favor.  It  has 
been  a  one-sided  alliance  all  along.  Scotland  has  for  cen- 
turies been  sending  some  of  her  best  blood  to  fight  as  sol- 
diers in  France,  but  with  a  few  exceptions  no  Frenchman 
has  ever  drawn  his  sword  for  Scotland. 

"No,  1  am  inclined  to  think  you  are  right,  Ronald,  and 
especially  after  -what  we  saw  at  Fontenoy  I  have  no  wish 
ever  to  draw  sword  again  against  the  English,  and  am 
willing  to  be  the  best  friends  in  the  world  with  them  if 
they  will  but  let  us  Scots  have  our  own  Icing  and  go  away 
peacefully.  I  don't  want  to  force  Prince  Charles  upon 
them  if  they  will  but  let  us  have  him  for  ourselves.  If 
they  won't,  you  know,  it  is  they  who  are  responsible  for 
the  quarrel,  not  us." 

"That  is  one  way  of  putting  it,  certainly,"  Eonald 
laughed.  "I  am  afraid,  after  having  been  one  kingdom 
since  King  James  went  to  London,  they  won't  let  us  go 
our  own  way  without  making  an  effort  to  keep  us;  but 
here  is  a  crossroad,  we  will  strike  off  here  and  make  for 
the  west." 

Tbey  avoided  the  towns  on  their  routes,  for  although 
they  felt  certain  that  they  were  ahead  of  any  messengers 
who  might  bo  sent  out  with  orders  for  their  arrest,  they 
knew  that  they  might  be  detained  for  some  little  time  at 
Nantes,  and  were  therefore  anxious  to  leave  no  clew  of 


213  BOWmS  PEMGE  GHAELIE. 

their  passage  In  tliat  direction.     Ou  the  evening  of  tha 
third  day  after  starting  they  approached  their  destination. 

On  the  first  morning  after  leaving  Versailles  they  had 
halted  in  a  wood  a  short  distance  from  Chartres,  and  Mal- 
colm had  ridden  in  alone  and  had  purchased  a  suit  of  citi- 
zen's clothes  for  Ronald  as  the  latter's  uniform  as  an  oSicer 
of  the  Scotch  dragoons  would  at  once  have  attracted  notice. 
Henceforward,  whenever  they  stopped,  Malcolm  had  taken 
an  opportunity  to  mention  to  the  stable-boy  that  he  was 
accompanying  his  master,  the  son  of  an  advocate  of  Paris, 
on  a  visit  to  some  relatives  in  La  Vendee.  This  story  he 
repeated  at  the  inn  v.'hei'e  they  put  vip  at  Nantes. 

The  nest  morning  Malcolm  went  round  to  all  the  inns 
in  the  town,  but  could  hear  nothing  of  the  Duke  of  Athole, 
so  he  returned  at  noon  with  the  news  of  his  want  of 
success. 

"They  may  have  hired  a  private  lodging  to  avoid  obser- 
vation," Ronald  said,  "or,  not  improbably,  may  have  taken 
another  name.  The  best  thing  we  can  do  is  to  go  down 
to  the  river  side,  inquire  what  vessels  are  likely  to  leave 
port  soon,  and  then,  if  v^e  see  any  one  going  off  to  them, 
to  accost  them.     "We  may  hear  of  them  in  that  way." 

Accordingly  they  made  their  way  down  to  the  river. 
There  were  several  vessels  lying  in  the  stream,  in  readiness 
to  sail  when  the  wind  served,  and  the  mouth  of  the  river 
was  reported  to  be  clear  of  any  English  cruisers.  They 
made  inquiries  as  to  the  destination  of  the  vessels.  All 
the  large  ones  were  sailing  for  Bordeaux  or  the  Mediterra- 
nean ports  of  France. 

"What  is  that  little  vessel  lying  apart  from   the  rest?" 
Malcolm  asked.     "She  looks  a  saucy  little  craft." 
"That  is  the  privateer   La  Dou telle,  one  of  the  fastest 
litt^a  vessels  on  the  coast.     She  has  brougiit  in  more  than 
one  English  merchantman  as  a  prize." 

As  they  were  speaking  a  boat  was  seen  to  leave  her  side 


BOJIIJIE  PRMOE  CEAIiLm.  gl3 

find  iDake  for  the  shore.  With  a  glance  at  Malcolm  to 
break  off  his  conversation  with  the  sailor  and  follow  him, 
Ronald  strode'  along  the  bank  toward  the  spot  where  the 
boat  woD.ld  land.  Two  gentlemen  got  out  and  advanced 
along  the  quay.     As  they  passed  Ronald  said  to  Malcolm : 

"I  know  one  of  those  men's  faces." 

"Do  yon,  Ronald?     I  cannot  recall  having  seen  them." 

Ronald  stood  for  a  moment  in  thought. 

"I  know  now!"  he  exclaimed.  "And  he  is  one  of  onl 
men,  sure  enough." 

So  saying  he  hurried  after  the  gentlemen. 

"I  think,  sir,"  he  said  as  he  came  up  to  them,  "that  I 
have  had  the  honor  of  meeting  you  before." 

A  look  of  displeasure  came  across  the  gentleman's  face. 

"I  think  you  are  mistaken,  sir,"  he  said  coldly.  "Yon 
must  take  me  for  some  one  else.  My  name  is  Verbois— 
Monsieur  Verbois  of  Le  Mans." 

"I  have  not  the  pleasure  of  knowing  Monsieur  Verbois," 
Ronald  said  with  a  slight  smile;  "but  I  hardly  think,  sir, 
that  that  is  the  name  that  you  went  by  when  I  had  the 
honor  of  meeting  you  in  Glasgow  more  than  two  years 
ago?" 

"In  Glasgow!"  the  gentleman  said,  looking  earnestly  at 
Ronald.     "In  Glasgow!     I  do  not  remember  you." 

"I  had  the  pleasure  of  doing  you  some  slight  service, 
nevertheless,"  Ronald  said  quietly,  "  when  I  brought  yoa 
news  that  your  enemies  were  upon  you,  and  managed  to 
detain  them  while  you  made  your  escape  through  the  attic 
window." 

"A  thousand  pardons!"  the  gentleman  exclaimed,  speak- 
ing in  English.  "How  could  I  have  forgotten  you?  But 
I  saw  you  for  such  a  short  time,  and  two  years  havo 
changed  you  greatly.  This  is  the  young  gentleman,  mar- 
quis, to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  my  escape  when  I  was  so 
nearly  captured  at  Glasgow,  as  you  have  heard  me  say.     It 


214 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 


■was  to  his  kindly  warning  in  the  first  place,  and  to  his 
conrage  in  the  second,  that  1  owed  my  liberty.  It  is  won- 
derfnl  that  yon  should  remember  me." 

"Two  years  have  not  changed  yon  as  mnch  as  they 
have  changed  me,"  Konald  said;  "besides,  you  were  busy 
in  destroying  papers,  while  I  had  nothing  to  do  but  to 
watch  you." 

"That  is  so,"  the  gentleman  agreed.  "At  any  rate  I 
am  heartily  glad  of  the  happy  chauce  which  has  thrown 
us  together,  and  has  given  me  an  opportunity  of  expressing 
to  you  the  deep  gratitude  which  I  have  felt  for  your  warn- 
ing and  assistance.  Had  it  not  been  for  that,  not  only 
should  I  myself  have  been  taken,  but  they  would  have  got 
possession  of  those  papers,  which  might  have  brought  the 
heads  of  a  score  of  the  best  blood  of  Scotland  to  the  scaf- 
fold. I  took  a  boat  that  was  lying  in  readiness,  and 
making  down  the  river  got  on  board  a  ship  which  was 
cruising  there  awaiting  me,  and  got  off.  It  has  always 
been  a  matter  of  bitter  regret  to  me  that  I  never  learned 
so  much  as  the  name  of  the  brave  young  gentleman  to 
whom  I  owed  so  much,  or  what  had  happened  to  him  for 
his  share  in  that  night's  work." 

"My  name  is  Ronald  Leslie,  sir.  I  am  the  son  of  Leslie 
of  Glenlyon,  who  fought  with  the  Chevalier  in  '15,  and 
afterward  entered  the  service  of  the  King  of  France,  and 
was  colonel  of  the  2d  Scotch  Dragoons." 

"Of  course  I  knew  him  well,"  the  gentleman  said,  "and 
\vith  others  endeavored  to  obtain  his  pardon  when  he  fell 
under  the  king's  displeasure  some  fifteen  years  ago,  al- 
though I  regret  to  say  without  success.  Believe  me,  if 
Prince  Charles — "  He  stopped  suddenly  as  his  companion 
touched  him. 

"You  would  say,  sir,"  Ronald  said  with  a  smile,  "if 
Prince  Charles  succeeds  in  his  present  enterprise,  and  re- 
gains his  throne,  you  will  get  him  to  exert  his  influence  to 
obtain  my  father's  release." 


BONNIE  PEINGB  OHABLIE,  315 

The  two  gentlemen  gave  an  exclamation  of  astonishment. 

"How  do  yoti  know  of  any  enterprise  that  is  meditated?" 

"I  was  told  of  it  as  a  secret  by  a  Scotch  officer  in  Paris, 
and  am  the  bearer  of  a  message  from  him  to  the  Duke  of 
Athole,  to  ask  him  to  allow  me  to  join  the  prince." 

"I  am  the  duke,"  the  other  gentleman  said. 

"Since  it  is  you,  sir,  I  may  tell  you  that  the  officer  I 
spoke  of  is  Colonel  Hume,  and  that  he  bade  me  show  you 
this  ring,  which  he  said  you  would  know,  as  a  token  that 
my  story  was  a  correct  one." 

"Hume  is  my  greatest  friend,"  the  duke  exclaimed, 
"and  his  introduction  would  be  sufficient,  even  if  you  had 
not  already  proved  your  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  Stu- 
arts, I  will  take  you  at  once  to  the  prince.  "Bnt,"  he 
said,  "before  I  do  so,  I  must  tell  you  that  the  enterprise 
npon  which  we  are  about  to  embark  is  a  desperate  one. 
The  prince  has  but  five  companions  with  him,  and  we 
embark  on  board  that  little  privateer  lyiug  in  the  stream. 
It  is  true  that  we  shall  be  escorted  by  a  man-of-war,  which 
■will  convey  the  arms  which  Prince  Charles  has  purchased 
for  the  enterprise;  but  not  a  man  goes  with  us,  and  the 
prince  is  about  to  trust  wholly  to  the  loyalty  of  Scotland." 

"I  shall  be  ready  to  accompany  him  in  any  case,  sir," 
Eonald  said,  "and  I  beg  to  introduce  to  you  a  faithful 
friend  of  my  father  and  myself.  His  name  is  Malcolm 
Anderson.  He  fought  for  the  Chevalier  in  '15,  and  ac- 
companied my  father  in  his  flight  to  France,  and  served 
nnder  him  in  the  French  service.  Upon  the  occasion  of 
my  father's  arrest  he  carried  me  to  Scotland,  and  has  been 
my  faithful  friend  ever  since." 

So  saying  he  called  Malcolm  up  and  presented  him  to 
the  duke,  and  the  party  then  proceeded  to  the  lodging 
"where  Prince  Charles  was  staying. 

"I  have  the  misfortune  to  be  still  ignorant  of  your 
name,  sir,"  Eonald  said  to  his  acquaintance  of  Glasgow. 


216  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"What!"  the  gentleman  said  in  surprise.  "Yon  do  not 
know  my  name,  after  doing  so  much  for  me!  I  thought, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  that  when  you  were  captured  for 
aiding  my  escape  you  would  have  heard  it,  hence  my  re- 
missness in  not  introducing  myself.  I  am  Colonel  Mac- 
donald.  When  you  met  me  I  was  engaged  in  a  tour 
through  the  Highland  clans,  sounding  the  chiefs  and 
obtaining  additions  to  the  seven  who  had  signed  a  declara- 
tion in  favor  of  the  prince  three  years  before.  The  Eng- 
lish government  had  obtained,  through  one  of  their  spies 
about  the  person  of  the  Chevalier,  news  of  my  mission, 
and  had  set  a  vigilant  watch  for  me." 

"But  is  it  possible  that  there  can  be  spies  among  those 
near  the  Chevalier!"  Ronald  exclaimed  in  astonishment. 

"Ay,  there  are  spies  everywhere,"  Macdouald  said  bit- 
terly. "All  sorts  of  people  com.e  and  go  round  the  Chev- 
alier and  round  Prince  Charles.  Every  Scotch  or  Irish 
vagabond  who  has  made  his  native  country  too  hot  to  hold 
him,  come  to  them  and  pretend  that  they  are  martyrs  to 
their  loyalty  to  the  Stuarts;  and  the  worst  of  it  is  their 
story  is  believed.  They  flatter  and  fawn,  they  say  just 
what  they  are  wanted  to  say,  and  have  no  opinion  of  their 
own,  and  the  consequence  is  that  the  Chevalier  looks  upon 
these  fellows  as  his  friends,  and  often  turns  his  back  upon 
Scottish  gentlemen  who  have  risked  and  lost  all  in  his 
service,  but  who  are  too  honest  to  flatter  him  or  to  descend 
to  the  arts  of  courtiers.  Look  at  the  men  who  are  here 
with  the  prince  now " 

"Macdonald!  Macdouald!"  the  duke  said  warmly. 

"Well,  well,"  the  otlier  broke  off  impatiently;  "no 
doubt  it  is  better  to  hold  one's  tongue.  But  it  is. mon- 
strous, that  when  there  are  a  score,  ay,  a  hundred  of  Scot- 
tish gentlemen  of  family,  many  of  them  officers  with  a 
high  knowledge  of  war,  who  would  gladly  have  accom- 
panied him  at  the  first  whisper  of  his  intentions,  thepriucs 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  217 

shonld  be  starting  on  such  a  ventnre  as  this  with  yourself 
only,  duke,  as  a  representative  of  the  Soottish  nobles  and 
chiefs,  and  six  or  eight  mongrels — Irish,  English,  and 
Scotch — the  sort  of  men  who  haunt  the  pot-houses  of 
Glanders,  and  spend  their  time  in  telling  what  they  have 
suffered  in  the  Stuart  cause  to  any  who  will  pay  for  their 
liquor." 

"Not  quite  so  bad  as  that,  Macdonald,"  the  duke  said. 
"Still  I  admit  that  I  could  ha^'e  wished  that  Prince  Charles 
should  have  landed  in  Scotland  surrounded  by  men  with 
names  known  and  honored  there,  rather  than  by  those  he 
has  selected  to  accompany  him." 

"But  you  are  going,  are  you  not,  sir?"  Eonald  asked 
Colonel  Macdonald. 

"No,  I  do  not  accompany  the  prince;  but  I  hope  to  fol- 
low shortly.  As  soon  as  the  prince  has  sailed  it  is  my 
mission  to  see  all  his  friends  and  followers  in  France,  and 
urge  them  to  join  him  in  Scotland ;  while  we  bring  all  the 
influence  we  have  to  bear  upon  Louis,  to  induce  him  to 
farnish  arms  and  assistance  for  the  ezpedition." 


213  BONNIE  FRINGE  GHARLIB, 


CHAPTEE  XIII. 

PRINCE  CHARLES. 

On  arriving  at  the  prince's  lodgings  Macdonald  r©- 
mained  without,  the  Duke  of  Athole  entering,  accompanied 
only  by  Ronald. 

"The  prince  is  in  disguise,"  he  said,  "and  but  one  or 
two  of  us  visit  him  here  in  order  that  no  suspicion  may  be 
incited  among  the  people  of  the  house  that  he  is  anything 
beyond  what  he  appears  to  be— a  young  student  of  tho 
Scotch  college  at  Paris." 

They  ascended  the  stairs  to  the  upper  story,  and  on  the 
marquis  knocking  a  door  was  opened.  The  duke  entered, 
followed  by  Eonald. 

"Well,  duke,  what  is  the  news?" 

The  question  was  asked  by  a  young  man,  who  was  pacing 
restlessly  up  and  down  the  room,  of  which  he  was,  with 
the  exception  of  his  valet  de  charabre,  an  Italian  named 
Michel,  the  person  who  had  opened  the  door,  the  only 
occupant. 

"Ah!  whom  have  you  here?" 

"Allow  me  to  present  to  your  royal  highness  Lieutenant 
Leslie.  He  is  the  son  of  Leslie  of  Gleulyon,  who  fought 
by  my  side  in  your  father's  cause  in  '15,  and  has,  like 
myself,  been  an  exile  ever  since.  This  is  the  young  gen- 
tleman who,  two  years  since,  saved  Macdonald  from  arrest 
in  Glasgow." 

"Ahl  I  remember  the  adventure,"  the  prince  said  conr- 


BONNIE  PBINOE  OHARLIB.  219 

teoxisly,  "and  a  right  gallant  action  it  was;  bnt  how  did 
yon  hear  that  I  was  here,  sir?" 

"I  was  told  by  my  good  friend  and  commanding  ofScer, 
Colonel  Hume  of  the  3d  Scottish  Dragoons,  your  royal 
highness." 

"I  revealed  it  to  Hume  before  leaving  Paris,"  the  duke 
said,  "he  being  a  great  friend  of  mine  and  as  staunch  as 
steel,  and  I  knew  that  he  could  be  trusted  to  keep  a  secret." 

"It  seems  that  in  the  last  particular  you  were  wrong," 
the  prince  remarked  with  a  slight  smile. 

"Colonel  Hume  only  revealed  it  to  me,  sir,"  Ronald 
said,  anxious  to  save  his  friend  from  the  suspicion  of  hav- 
ing betrayed  a  secret  confided  to  him,  "for  very  special 
reasons,  I  had  the  misfortune  to  kill  in  a  duel  the  Duke 
of  Chateauronge,  and  as  we  fought  just  outside  the  park 
of  Versailles,  and  the  duke  was  a  favorite  of  the  king's,  I 
had  to  ride  for  it;  then  Colonel  Hume,  knowing  my  devo- 
tion to  the  cause  of  yonr  highness,  whispered  to  me  the 
secret  of  your  intention,  and  gave  me  a  message  to  his 
friend  the  Duke  of  Athole." 

"Do  you  say  that  you  have  killed  the  Duke  of  Chateau 
rouge  in  a  duel?"  the  duke  exclaimed  in  astonishment. 
"Why,  he  has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best 
swordsmen  in  France,  and  has  a  most  evil  name  as  a  dan- 
gerous and  unscrupulous  man.  I  met  him  constantly  at 
court,  and  his  arrogance  and  haughtiness  were  well-nigh 
Insufferable.     And  you  have  killed  him?" 

"I  knew  him  well  too,"  the  prince  said,  "and  his  repu- 
tation. We  do  not  doubt  what  you  say,  young  gentleman," 
he  added  quickly,  seeing  a  flush  mount  into  Ronald's  face; 
"but  in  truth  it  seems  strange  that  such  should  have  been 
the  case." 

"Colonel  Hume  did  me  the  honor  to  be  my  second," 
Ronald  said  quietly,  "and  the  Marquis  de  Vallecourt  was 
second  to  the  duke;  some  other  oflQcers  of  the  Scottish 


220  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

regiment  were  present,  as  were  two  other  French  nohle- 
meu,  De  Lisle  and  St.  Aignan." 

"  We  doubt  yon  not,  sir,"  the  duke  said  warmly.  "  Yoa 
will  understand  that  it  cannot  but  seem  strange  that  you 
at  your  age— for  it  seems  to  me  that  you  cannot  be  more 
than  nineteen — should  have  been  able  to  stand  for  a  mo- 
ment against  one  of  the  best  swordsmen  in  France,  to  say 
nothing  of  having  slain  him." 

"Colonel  Hume  would  scarcely  have  consented  to  act  as 
my  second  had  he  thought  that  the  contest  was  a  wholly 
unequal  one,"  Ronald  said  with  a  slight  smile;  "indeed  I 
may  say  that  he  regarded  it  as  almost  certain  that  I  should 
have  the  best  of  the  fray." 

"Why,  you  must  be  a  very  Paladin,"  the  prince  said 
admiringly;  "but  sit  down  and  tell  us  all  about  it.  Upon 
my  word  I  am  so  sick  of  being  cooped  up  for  four  days  in 
this  wretched  den  that  I  regard  your  coming  as  a  godsend. 
Now  tell  me  how  was  it  that  the  Due  de  Cha^eanrouge 
condescended  to  quarrel  with  a  young  officer  in  the  Scot- 
tish Horse." 

"It  was  a  family  quarrel,  sir,  which  I  had  inherited 
from  my  father," 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  remember  now,"  the  Duke  of  Athole  broke 
in.  "It  is  an  old  story  now;  but  I  heard  all  about  it  at 
the  time,  and  did  what  I  could,  as  did  all  Leslie's  friends, 
to  set  the  matter  right,  but  in  vain.  Leslie  of  Glenlyon, 
prince,  was  colonel  of  the  Scottish  Dragoons,  and  as  gal- 
lant and  dashing  a  soldier  as  ever  was  in  the  service  of  the 
King  of  France,  and  as  good-looking  a  one  too;  and  the 
result  was,  the  daughter  of  the  Marquis  de  Recambours, 
one  of  the  richest  heiresses  in  France,  whom  her  father 
and  the  king  destined  as  the  bride  of  this  Duke  of  Cha- 
teaurouge,  who  was  then  quite  a  young  man,  fell  in  love 
With  Leslie,  and  a  secret  marriage  took  place  between 
them.     For  three  years  no  one  suspected  it;  bnt  the  young 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  gSl 

lady's  obstkiacy  in  refusiug  to  obey  her  father's  orders 
caused  her  to  be  shut  up  in  a  convent.  Somehow  the 
truth  came  out.  Leslie  was  arrested  and  thrown  into  the 
Bastile,  aud  he  has  never  been  heard  of  since.  What 
became  of  the  child  which  was  said  to  have  been  born  no 
one  ever  heard;  but  it  was  generally  supposed  that  it  had 
been  put  out  of  the  way.  We  in  vain  endeavored  to  soften 
the  king's  anger  against  Leslie,  but  the  influeuce  of  Ee- 
cambours  and  Chateauronge  was  too  great  for  us.  Hume 
told  me  some  time  since  that  Leslie's  son  had  been  carried 
olf  to  Scotland  by  one  of  his  troopers,  and  had  returned, 
and  was  riding  as  a  gentleman  volunteer  in  his  regiment; 
but  we  have  had  no  further  talk  on  the  subject." 

"You  will  be  glad  to  hear,  sir,"  Eonald  said,  "that  my 
father  and  mother  have  within  the  last  few  weeks  been 
released,  and  are  now  living  on  a  small  estate  of  my 
mother's  in  the  south.  They  were  ordered  to  retire  there 
by  the  king." 

"I  am  glad,  indeed,"  the  duke  said  cordially;  "aud  how 
is  your  father?" 

"He  is  sadly  crippled  by  rheumatism,  and  can  scarce 
■walk,"  Eonald  said,  "and  I  fear  that  his  health  is  alto- 
gether shaken  with  what  he  has  had  to  go  through." 

"How  did  you  obtain  their  release,  Leslie?"  the  prince 
asked. 

"Marshal  Saxe  obtained  it  for  oe,"  Eonald  answered. 
"Colonel  Hume  first  introduced  me  to  him,  and  as  he  too 
bad  known  my  father  he  promised  that  should  he  obtain  a 
■victory  he  would  ask  as  a  boon  from  the  king  the  release 
of  my  father,  and  he  did  so  after  Fonteuoy,  where  the 
Marquis  de  Eecambours  was  killed,  and  the  king  thereby 
freed  from  his  influence.  The  Duke  of  Chateauronge, 
■whose  hostility  against  my  father  had  always  been  bitter, 
was  doubtless  greatly  irritated  at  nis  release,  and  took  the 
£?x't  opportunity,  on  meeting  me.  oi  grossij  insulting  nio. 


232  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

On  my  replying  in  terms  in  accordance  with  the  insnlt,  he 
drew,  and  would  have  fought  me  in  the  palace  grounds 
had  not  Colonel  Hume  and  his  friends  interfered;  then  we 
adjourned  outside  the  park.  The  duke  doubtless  thought 
that  he  would  kill  me  without  difficulty,  and  so  rushed  in 
BO  carelessly  that  at  the  very  first  thrust  I  ran  him 
througli." 

"And  served  him  right,"  the  prince  said  heartily. 
"Now  since  both  your  father's  enemies  are  gone,  it  may 
be  hoped  that  his  troubles  are  over,  and  tliat  your  mother 
will  recover  the  estates  to  which  she  is  entitled.  And 
BOW,  duke,  what  is  your  news?  When  are  wo  going  to 
sail?" 

"The  Doutelle  is  already  by  this  time  on  her  way  down 
the  river,  and  it  is  proposed  that  we  shall  start  this  even- 
ing and  board  her  there.  The  stores  and  arms  are  all 
safely  on  board  the  Elizabeth,  and  she  is  lying  off  Beiieisle; 
80  far  as  Mr.  Walsh  has  heard,  no  suspicion  has  been  ex- 
cited as  to  their  purpose  or  destination,  so  that  we  may 
hope  in  twenty-four  hours  to  be  fairly  on  board." 

"That  is  the  best  news  I  have  heard  for  months,"  the 
prince  said;  "thank  goodness  the  time  for  action  is  at  last 
At  hand !" 

"I  have,  I  trust,  your  royal  highness'  permission  to  ac- 
company you,**  Eonald  said;  "together  with  my  follower, 
Anderson.  He  is  the  trooper  who  carried  me  over  to 
Scotland  as  a  child,  and  has  been  my  faithful  friend  ever 
since." 

"Certainly,  Leslie.  I  shall  be  glad  indeed  to  have  a 
member  of  a  family  who  have  proved  so  faithful  to  my 
father's  cause  with  me  in  the  adventure  upon  which  I  am 
embarking." 

Eonald  with  a  few  words  of  thanks  bowed  and  took  his 
leave,  after  receiving  instructions  from  the  duke  to  start 
ahortiy  and  to  ride  down  the  river  toward  Lorient. 


BONNIE  P  RINGE  CEA  ELTR.  ggS 

**Yon  can  halt  for  a  few  hours  on  the  road,  and  then 
ride  on  again;  we  shall  overtake  you  before  you  reach  the 
port.  We  shall  all  leave  singly  or  in  pairs,  to  avoid  at- 
tracting any  attention." 

Eonald  left,  delighted  with  the  kindness  of  the  prince's 
manuer.  Priuce  Charles  was  indeed  possessed  of  all  the 
attributes  which  win  men's  hearts  and  devotion.  In  figure 
he  was  tall  and  well  formed,  and  endowed  both  with 
strength  and  activity.  He  excelled  in  all  manly  exercises, 
and  was  an  excellent  walker,  having  applied  himself 
ardently  to  field-sports  during  his  residence  in  Italy. 

He  was  strikingly  handsome,  his  face  was  of  a  perfect 
oval,  his  features  high  and  noble,  his  complexion  was  fair, 
his  eyes  light  blue,  and,  contrary  to  the  custom  of  the 
time,  when  wigs  were  almost  universally  worn,  he  allowed 
his  fair  hair  to  fall  in  long  ringlets  on  his  neck.  His 
manner  was  graceful,  and  although  he  always  bore  himself 
mth  a  sort  of  royal  dignity  he  had  the  peculiar  talent  of 
pleasing  and  attracting  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact, 
and  had  the  art  of  adapting  his  conversation  to  the  tastes 
or  station  of  those  whom  he  addressed. 

His  education  had  been  intrusted  to  Sir  Thomas  Sheri- 
dan, an  Irish  Eoman  Catholic,  who  had  grossly  neglected 
his  duties,  and  who  indeed  has  been  more  than  suspected 
of  acting  as  an  agent  in  the  pay  of  the  British  government. 
The  weakness  in  the  prince's  character  was  that  he  was  a 
bad  judge  of  men,  and  inclined  on  all  occasions  to  take 
the  advice  of  designing  knaves  who  flattered  and  paid  def- 
erence to  him,  rather  than  that  of  the  Scottish  nobles  who 
were  risking  their  lives  for  his  cause,  but  vvho  at  times 
gave  their  advice  with  a  blantness  and  warmth  which  were 
displeasing  to  him.  It  was  this  weakness  which  brought 
an  enterprise,  which  at  one  time  had  the  fairest  prospect 
of  success,  to  destruction  and  ruin. 

On  leaving  the  house  Konald  was  joined  by  Malcolm, 


234:  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE, 

and  half  an  honr  later  they  monnted  their  horses  and  rode 
for  the  mouth  of  the  Loire.  The  whole  party  arrived  on 
the  following  day  at  St.  Nazaire,  embarking  separately  on 
board  the  Doutelle,  M'here  Prince  Charles,  who  had  come 
down  from  Nantes  in  a  fishing-boat,  was  received  by  Mr. 
"Walsh,  the  owner  of  the  vessel.  Eonald  now  saw  gathered 
together  the  various  persons  who  were  to  accompany  Prince 
Charles  on  this  adventurous  expedition.  These  were 
Sheridan,  the  former  tutor  of  the  prince;  Kelly,  a  non- 
juring  clergyman,  and  Sullivan — both,  like  Sheridan, 
Irishmen;  Strickland,  a  personage  so  unimportant  that 
v/hile  some  writers  call  him  an  Englishman,  others  assert 
that  he  was  Irish;  ^neas  Macdonald,  a  Scotchman;  Sir 
John  Macdonald,  an  ofiBcer  in  the  Spanish  service;  the 
prince's  valet,  Michel;  and  the  Duke  of  Athole,  or,  as  he 
is  more  generally  called,  the  Marquis  of  Tullibardine,  the 
last-named  being  the  only  man  of  high  standing  or  repu- 
tation. Never  did  a  prince  start  to  fight  for  a  kingdom 
v;ith  such  a  following. 

The  Doutelle  weighed  anchor  as  soon  as  the  last  of  the 
party  arrived  on  deck,  and  under  easy  sail  proceeded  to 
Belleisle.  Here  she  lay  for  some  days  awaiting  the  arrival 
of  the  Elizabeth.  Mr.  Rutledge,  a  merchant  at  Nantes, 
had  obtained  an  order  from  the  French  court  that  this 
man-of-war  should  proceed  to  cruise  on  the  coast  of  Scot- 
land, and  had  then  arranged  with  the  captain  of  the  ship 
to  take  on  board  the  arms  that  had  been  purchased  by  the 
prince  with  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  some  of  the  family 
jewels. 

These  consisted  of  fifteen  hundred  muskets,  eighteen 
hundred  broadswords,  twenty  small  field-pieces,  and  some 
ammunition.  The  captain  had  also  agreed  that  the  Dou- 
telle, which  only  mounted  eighteen  small  guns,  should  sail 
in  company  with  the  Elizabeth  to  Scotland.  As  soon  as 
the  Elizabeth  was  seen  the  Doutelle  spread  her  sails,  and 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  225 

keeping  a  short  distance  from  each  other  the  two  vessels 
sailed  north.  So  great  was  the  necessity  for  prudence  that 
the  prince  still  maintained  his  disguise  as  a  Scottish  stu- 
dent, and,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Walsh,  none  of  the 
officers  and  crew  of  the  Doutelle  were  acquainted  with 
his  real  rank,  and  the  various  members  of  his  party  treated 
him  and  each  other  as  strangers. 

Four  days  after  leaving  Belleisle  a  British  man-of-war 
of  fifty-eight  guns  hove  in  sight,  and  crowding  on  all  sail 
rapidly  came  up.  The  Elizabeth  at  once  prepared  to  en- 
gage her,  signaling  to  the  Doutelle  to  do  the  same.  The 
prince  urged  Mr.  Walsh  to  aid  the  Elizabeth,  but  the 
latter  steadily  refused. 

He  had  undertaken,  he  said,  to  carry  the  prince  to  Scot- 
land, and  would  do  nothing  to  endanger  the  success  of  the 
enterprise.  The  two  vessels  were  well  matched,  and  he 
would  not  allow  the  Doutelle  to  engage  in  the  affair.  The 
prince  continued  to  urge  the  point,  until  at  last  Mr.  Walsh 
said  that  unless  he  abstained  from  interference  he  should 
be  forced  to  order  him  below. 

The  Doutelle,  therefore,  stood  aloof  from  the  engage- 
ment, which  lasted  for  five  or  six  hours,  and  sailed  quietly 
on  her  course,  in  order  to  be  beyond  the  risk  of  capture 
should  the  English  ship  prove  victorious;  neither  of  the 
vessels,  however,  obtained  any  decided  advantage.  Both 
were  so  crippled  in  the  encounter  that  the  Elizabeth  re- 
turned to  France,  the  Lion  to  Plymouth  to  refit.  Thus 
the  small  supply  of  arms  and  artillery  which  the  prince 
had  with  such  great  trouble  got  together  was  lost. 

"  Well,  Ronald,"  Malcolm  said  that  evening  as  they 
leaned  over  the  taffrail  together,  "  I  do  think  that  such  a 
mad-headed  expedition  as  this  was  never  undertaken.  An 
exiled  prince,  an  outlawed  duke,  six  adventurers,  a  valet, 
and  our  two  selves.  One  could  laugh  if  one  was  not  almost 
ready  to  cry  at  the  folly  of  invading  a  country  like  England 
in  such  a  fashion." 


236  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"  That  is  only  one  way  of  looking  at  it,  Malcolm.  We 
are  not  an  army  of  invasion.  The  prince  is  simply  travel- 
ing  with  a  few  personal  followers  to  put  himself  at  the 
head  of  an  army.  The  affair  depends,  not  upon  us,  but 
upon  the  country.  If  the  clans  turn  out  to  support  him 
as  they  did  in  '15  he  will  soon  be  at  the  head  of  some 
twenty  thousand  men.  Not  enough,  1  grant  you,  to  con- 
quer England,  but  enough  for  a  nucleus  round  which  the 
Lowland  and  English  Jacobites  can  gather." 

"Yes,  it  depends  upon  the  ifs,  Eonald.  If  all  the 
Highland  clans  join,  and  if  there  are  sufficient  Jacobites 
in  the  Lowlands  and  England  to  make  a  large  army,  we 
may  do.  I  have  some  hopes  of  the  clans,  but  after  what 
we  saw  of  the  apathy  of  the  English  Jacobites  in  '15  I 
have  no  shadow  of  faith  in  them.  However,  I  fought  for 
the  Chevalier  in  '15,  and  I  am  ready  to  fight  for  Prince 
Charles  now  as  long  as  there  is  any  fighting  to  be  done, 
and  when  that  is  over  I  shall  be  as  ready  to  make  for 
Prance  as  I  was  before." 
Eonald  laughed. 

"You  are  certainly  not  enthusiastic  about  it,  Malcolm.'* 
"When  one  gets  to  my  age,  Eonald,  common  sense  takes 
the  place  of  enthusiasm,  and  I  have  seen  enough  of  wars 
to  know  that  for  business  a  well-appointed  and  well-disci- 
plined army  is  required.  If  Prince  Charles  does  got  what 
you  call  an  army,  but  which  I  sliOuld  call  an  armed  mob, 
together,  there  will  be  the  same  dissensions,  the  same 
bickerings,  the  same  want  of  plan  that  there  was  before; 
and  unless  something  like  a  miracle  happens  it  will  end  as 
the  last  did  at  Preston,  in  defeat  and  ruin.  However,  lad, 
here  we  are,  and  we  will  go  through  with  it  to  the  end.' 
By  the  time  we  get  back  to  France  we  must  hope  that 
King  Louis  will  have  got  over  the  killing  of  his  favorite. 
However,  I  tell  you  frankly  that  my  hope  is  that  when 
the  Highland  chiefs  see  that  the  prince  has  come  without 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  gg? 

a?ia3}  witliont  men,  and  without  even  promises  of  support 
by  France,  tbey  T^ill  refuse  to  risk  liberty  and  life  and  to 
bring  rain  upon  their  people  by  joining  in  snch  a  mad- 
brained  adventure." 

"I  hope  not,  Malcolm,"  Eonald  said,  as  he  looked  at 
the  prince  as  he  was  pacing  up  and  down  the  deck  with 
the  Duke  of  Athole,  talking  rapidly,  his  face  flushed  with 
enthusiasm,  his  clustering  hair  blown  backward  by  the 
wind.  "He  is  a  noble  young  prince.  He  is  fighting  for 
his  own.  He  has  justice  and  right  on  his  side,  and  God 
grant  that  he  may  succeed !" 

"Amen  to  that,  Eonald,  with  all  my  heart!  but  so  far 
as  my  experience  goes,  strength  and  discipline  and  general- 
ship and  resources  go  a  great  deal  further  than  right  in 
deciding  the  issue  of  a  war." 

Two  days  later  another  English  man-of-war  came  in 
sight  and  gave  chase  to  the  Doutelle,  but  the  latter  was  a 
fast  sailer  and  soon  left  her  pursuer  behind,  and  without 
further  adventure  arrived  among  the  Western  Isles,  and 
dropped  anchor  near  the  little  islet  of  Erisca,  between 
Barra  and  South  Uist.  As  they  approached  the  island  an 
eagle  sailed  out  from  the  rocky  shore  and  hovered  over  the 
vessel,  and  the  Duke  of  Athole  pointed  it  out  as  a  favora- 
ble augury  to  the  prince. 

Charles  and  his  companions  landed  at  Erisca  and  passed 
the  night  on  shore.  They  found  on  inquiry  that  this 
cluster  of  islands  belonged  to  Mucdonald  of  Clanranald,  a 
young  chief  who  was  known  to  be  attached  to  the  Jacobite 
cause.  He  was  at  present  absent  on  the  mainland,  but  his 
uncle  and  principal  adviser,  Macdonald  of  Boisdale,  was  in 
South  Uist.  The  prince  sent  oil  one  of  his  followers  in  a 
boat  to  summon  him,  and  he  came  aboard  the  Doutelle 
the  next  morning;  but  when  he  heard  from  the  prince 
that  he  had  come  alone  and  unattended  he  refused  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  the  enterprise,  which  he  asserted  waa 


<|23  BCimiE  PEINCE  GEABLIE. 

rasli  to  tli9  pcint  of  insanity,  and  wonld  bring  rnin  and 
destructioa  on  all  who  took  part  in  it. 

The  princa  employed  all  his  efforts  to  persuade  the  old 
chief,  but  in  vain,  and  the  latter  returned  to  his  isle  in  a 
boat,  \7hile  the  Dontelle  pursued  her  voyage  to  the  main- 
land and  entered  the  Bay  of  Lochuanuagh,  in  Inverness- 
shire,  and  immediately  sent  a  messenger  to  Clanranald, 
who  came  on  board  shortly  with  Macdonald  of  Kinloch- 
Moidart,  and  several  other  Macdonalds. 

They  received  the  prince  with  the  greatest  respect,  but. 
like  Macdonald  of  Boisdale,  the  two  chiefs  refused  to  take 
up  arms  in  an  enterprise  which  they  believed  to  be  abso- 
lutely hopeless.  In  vain  Prince  Charles  argued  and 
implored.  The  two  chiefs  remained  firm,  until  the  prince 
suddenly  turned  to  a  younger  brother  of  Moidart,  who 
stood  listening  to  the  conversation,  and  with  his  fingers 
clutching  the  hilt  of  his  broadsword  as  he  heard  the  young 
prince,  whom  he  regarded  as  his  future  kiug,  in  vain  im- 
ploring the  assistance  of  his  brother  and  kinsmen. 

"Will  you  at  least  not  assist  me?"  the  prince  exclaimed. 

"  I  will,  I  will !"  Ranald  Macdonald  exclaimed.  "  Though 
DO  other  man  in  the  Highlands  shall  draw  a  sword,  I  am 
ready  to  die  for  you." 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  young  man  was  catching,  and 
throwing  to  the  winds  their  own  convictions  and  forebod- 
ings the  two  Macdonalds  declared  that  they  also  would 
join,  and  use  every  exertion  to  engage  their  countrymen. 
The  clansmen  who  had  come  on  board  the  ship  without 
knowing  the  object  of  the  visit  were  now  told  who  the 
prince  was,  and  they  expressed  their  readiness  to  follow  to 
the  death.  Two  or  three  days  later,  on  the  25th  of  July, 
Prince  Charles  landed  and  was  conducted  to  Borodale,  a 
farmhouse  belonging  to  Clanranald. 

Charles  at  once  sent  off  letters  to  the  Highland  chiefs 
whom  he  knew  to  be  favorable  to  the^Stuart  cause.    Among 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHA  RLIE.  229 

these  the  principal  were  Cameron  of  Lochiel,  Sir  Alexander 
Macdonald,  and  Macleod.  Locheil  immediately  obeyed 
the  snmmons,  but  being  convinced  of  the  madness  of  the 
enterprisethe  came,  not  to  join  the  prince,  bi.t  to  dissuade 
him  from  embarking  in  it.  On  his  way  he  called  upon 
his  brother,  Cameron  of  Fassefern,  who  agreed  with  Lis 
opinion  as  to  the  hopelessness  of  success,  and  urged  him 
to  write  to  the  prince  instead  of  going  to  see  him. 

"1  know  you  better  than  you  know  yourself,"  he  said. 
"If  the  prince  once  sets  eyes  upon  you,  he  will  make  you 
do  whatever  he  pleases." 

Lochiel,  however,  persisted  in  going,  convinced  that  tha 
prince  would,  on  his  representation,  abandon  the  design. 
For  a  loug  time  he  stood  firm,  until  the  prince  exclaimed: 

"I  am  resolved  to  put  all  to  the  hazard.  In  a  few  days 
I  will  erect  the  royal  standard  and  proclaim  to  the  people 
of  Britain  that  Charles  Stuart  is  come  over  to  claim  the 
crown  of  his  ancestors  or  perish  in  the  attempt.  Lochiel, 
who  my  father  has  often  told  me  was  our  firmest  friend, 
may  stay  at  home  and  learn  from  the  nevt'spapers  the  fate 
of  his  prince." 

Lochiel's  resolution  melted  at  once  at  these  words,  and 
he  said : 

"Not  so.  I  will  share  the  fate  of  my  prince  whatsoever 
it  be,  and  so  shall  every  man  over  whom  nature  or  fortune 
hath  given  me  power." 

The  conversion  of  Lochiel  was  the  turning  point  of 
the  enterprise.  Upon  tlie  news  of  the  prince's  landing 
spreading  most  of  the  other  chiefs  had  agreed  that  if 
Lochiel  stood  aloof  they  would  not  move;  and  had  he 
remained  firm  not  a  man  would  have  joined  the  prince's 
standard,  and  he  would  have  been  forced  to  abandon  the 
enterprise.  Sir  Alexander  Macdonald  and  Macleod,  in- 
stead of  going  to  see  the  prince,  had  gone  oft"  together,  on 
the  receipt  of  his  letter,  to  the  Isle  of  Skye,  so  as  to  avoid 


230  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

an  interview.  Clanranald  was  dispatched  by  Prince 
Charles  to  see  them,  bat  they  declined  to  join,  urging 
with  truth  that  the  promises  which  they  had  given  to  join 
in  a  rising  were  contingent  upon  the  prince  arriving  at 
the  head  of  a  strong  French  force  with  arms  and  supplies. 
They  therefore  refused  at  present  to  move.  Others,  how- 
ever, were  not  so  cautious.  Fired  by  the  example  of 
Lochiel,  and  by  their  own  traditions  of  loyalty  to  the 
Stuarts'  cause,  many  of  the  lesser  chiefs  at  once  summoned 
their  followers  to  the  field.  With  the  majority  the  absence 
of  French  troops  had  the  exactly  opposite  effect  that  it 
had  had  with  Sir  Alexander  Macdonald  and  Macleod. 
Had  the  prince  landed  with  a  French  army  they  might 
have  stood  aloof  and  suffered  him  to  fight  out  his  quarrel 
unaided;  but  his  arrival  alone  and  unattended,  trusting 
solely  and  wholly  to  the  loyalty  of  the  Scottish  people, 
made  an  irresistible  appeal  to  their  generous  feelings,  and 
although  there  were  probably  but  few  who  did  not  foresee 
that  failure,  ruin,  and  death  would  be  the  result  of  the 
enterprise,  they  embarked  in  the  cause  with  as  much  ardor 
as  if  their  success  had  been  certain. 

From  Borodale,  after  disembarking  the  scanty  treasure 
of  four  thousand  louis-d'or  which  he  had  brought  with 
him  and  a  few  stands  of  arms  from  the  Doutelle,  Charles 
proceeded  by  water  to  Kinloch-Moidart. 

Mr.  Walsh  sailed  in  the  Doutelle,  after  receiving  the 
prince's  warmest  thanks,  and  a  letter  to  his  father  in 
Eome  begging  him  to  grant  Mr.  Walsh  an  Irish  earldom 
as  a  reward  for  the  services  he  had  rendered,  a  recommen- 
dation which  was  complied  with. 

The  chiefs  soon  began  to  assemble  at  Moidart,  and  the 
house  became  the  center  of  a  picturesque  gathering. 

Ronald  had  now  put  aside  the  remembrance  of  Malcolm's 
forebodings,  and  entered  heart  and  soul  into  the  enterprise. 
Ha  had  in  Glasgow  frequently  seen  Highlanders  in  their 


BONNIE  PRINUE  CHARLIE.  331 

native  dress,  but  he  had  not  before  ■witnessed  any  large 
gathering,  and  he  was  delighted  with  the  aspect  of  the 
sturdy  mountaineers  in  their  picturesque  garb. 

The  prince  had  at  once  laid  aside  the  attire  in  which  he 
had  landed  and  had  assumed  Highland  costume,  and  by 
the  charm  and  geniality  of  his  manner  he  completely  won 
the  hearts  of  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him.  Among 
those  who  joined  him  at  Moidart  was  Murray  of  Brough- 
ton,  a  man  who  was  destined  to  exercise  as  destructive  an 
influence  on  the  prince's  fortune  as  had  Mr.  Forster  over 
that  of  his  father.  Murray  had  hurried  from  his  seat  in 
the  south,  having  first  had  a  large  number  of  manifestoes 
for  future  distribution  printed.  He  was  at  once  appointed 
by  Charles  his  secretary  of  state. 

While  the  gathering  at  Moidart  was  daily  growing,  the 
English  remained  in  ignorance  of  the  storm  which  was 
preparing.  It  was  not  until  the  30th  of  July  that  the  fact 
that  the  prince  had  sailed  from  Nantes  was  known  in 
London,  and  as  late  as  the  8th  of  August,  nearly  three 
weeks  after  Charles  first  appeared  on  the  coast,  the  fact  of 
his  landing  was  unknown  to  the  authorities  in  Edinburgh. 

On  the  16th  of  August  the  English  governor  at  Fort 
Augustus,  alarmed  at  the  vague  reports  which  reached 
him,  and  the  sudden  nevv's  that  bodies  of  armed  Highlanders 
were  hurrying  west,  sent  a  detachment  of  two  companies 
under  Captain  Scott  to  reinforce  the  advance  post  of  Fort 
William. 

After  marching  twenty  miles  the  troops  entered  the 
narrow  ravine  of  Spean  Bridge,  when  they  were  suddenly 
attacked  by  a  party  of  Keppoch's  clansmen  who  were  on 
their  way  to  join  the  prince  when  they  saw  the  English 
troops  on  their  march.  They  were  joined  by  some  of 
Lochiel's  clansmen,  and  so  heavy  a  fire  was  kept  up  from 
the  heights  that  the  English,  after  having  five  or  six  men. 
killed  and  many  more  wounded,  among  them  their  com- 
manding officer,  were  forced  to  lay  down  their  arms. 


332  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

They  were  treated  with  great  hnmanity  by  their  captors, 
and  the  wounded  were  well  cared  for.  The  news  of  this 
success  reached  the  prince  on  the  day  before  that  fixed 
for  the  raising  of  his  standard,  the  19th  of  August,  and 
added  to  the  enthusiasm  which  prevailed  among  the  little 
force  gathered  in  Glentinnan,  where  the  ceremony  took 
place.  The  glen  lay  about  halfway  between  Borodale  and 
Fort  William,  both  being  about  fifteen  miles  distant.  The 
gathering  consisted  principally  of  the  Camerous  of  Lochiel, 
some  six  hundred  strong,  and  they  brought  with  them  the 
two  English  companies  captured  on  the  16th,  disarmed 
and  prisoners. 

The  Duke  of  Athole  performed  the  ceremony  of  unfurl- 
ing the  banner.  He  was  the  heir  to  the  dukedom  of 
Athole,  but  had  been  exiled  for  taking  part  in  the  rising 
of  '15  and  the  dukedom  bestowed  by  the  English  govern- 
ment upon  his  brother;  thus  among  the  English  he  was 
still  spoken  of  as  the  Marquis  of  Tullibardine,  while  at 
the  French  court  and  among  the  followers  of  the  Stuarts  he 
was  regarded  as  the  rightful  Duke  of  Athole. 

The  unfurling  of  the  standard  was  greeted  with  loud 
shouts,  and  the  clansmen  threw  their  bonnets  high  in  the 
air.  The  duke  then  read  the  manifesto  of  the  Chevalier, 
and  tlie  commission  of  regency  granted  by  him  to  Prince 
Charles.  After  this  the  prince  himself  made  an  inspiring 
speech,  and  declared  that  at  the  head  of  his  faithful  High- 
landers he  was  resolved  to  conquer  or  to  perish. 

Among  the  spectators  of  the  ceremony  was  Captain 
Swetenhara,  an  English  officer  taken  prisoner  a  few  days 
before  while  on  his  way  to  assume  the  command  of  Fort 
William.  He  had  been  treated  with  great  courtesy  and 
kindness  by  the  prince,  who,  after  the  ceremony,  dismissed 
him  wiih  the  words,  "You  may  now  return  to  your  gen- 
eral; tell  him  what  you  have  seen,  and  add  that  I  ^m 
about  to  give  him  battle." 


BONNIE  PRINUPJ  CHARLIE.  233 

Soon  after  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony  Keppoch 
marched  in  with  three  hundred  of  his  clan,  and  some 
smaller  parties  also  arrived.  The  next  morning  the  force 
marched  to  Lochiel's  house  at  Auchnacarrie,  where  the 
prince  was  joined  by  the  Macdonalds  of  Gleucoe,  a  hundred 
and  fifty  strong,  two  hundred  Stuarts  of  Appin  under  their 
chief,  and  by  the  younger  Gleug-rry  with  two  hundred 
more,  so  that  the  force  had  now  swelled  to  sixteen  hundred 
men. 

"  We  begin  to  look  like  an  army,"  Eonald  said  to  Mal- 
colm. 

"Well,  yes,"  the  latter  replied  dryly,  "we  are  rather 
stronger  than  one  regiment  and  not  quite  so  strong  as  two; 
still,  if  things  go  on  like  this  we  shall  ere  very  long  have 
mounted  up  to  the  strength  of  a  brigade;  but  even  a  bri- 
gade, Ronald,  does  not  go  very  far  toward  the  conquest  of 
a  kingdom,  especially  when  only  about  one  man  in  three 
has  got  a  musket,  and  so  far  there  are  neither  cavalry  nor 
artillery.     Still,  you  know,  these  things  may  come." 

Ronald  laughed  gayly  at  his  companion's  want  of  faith. 
He  himself  had  now  caught  the  enthusiasm  which  pervaded 
all  around.  It  was  true  that  as  yet  the  prince's  adherents 
were  but  a  handful,  but  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  an 
army  would  spring  from  the  ground.  Promises  of  assist- 
ance had  come  from  all  quarters,  and  if  the  army  was  a 
small  one  the  English  army  in  Scotland  was  but  little 
larger,  and  if  a  first  success  could  be  achieved,  all  Scotland 
might  be  expected  to  rise,  and  the  news  would  surely  in- 
fluence the  Jacobites  of  England  to  declare  for  the  prince. 

Sir  John  Cope,  the  English  officer  commanding  tha 
English  forces  in  Scotland,  at  the  first  rumor  of  troubles 
had  ordered  his  troops  to  assemble  at  Stirling.  He  had 
with  him  two  regiments  of  dragoons,  Gardiner's  and  Ham- 
ilton's, both  young  regiments,  and  the  whole  force  at  hi^ 
ciisposal,  exclusive  of  troops  in  garrison,  did  not  exceed 


234  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

three  thousand  men.  With  these  he  proposed  to  march  at 
once  to  the  west,  and  crush  the  rebellion  before  it  gained 
strength.  The  English  government  approved  of  his  pro- 
posal, and  sent  him  a  proclamation  offering  a  reward  of 
thirty  thousand  pounds  to  any  person  who  should  seize  and 
secure  the  pretended  Prince  of  Wales. 

On  the  day  of  the  raising  of  the  standard  Cope  set  out 
from  Edinburgh  for  Stirling  and  the  next  day  commenced 
his  march  at  the  head  of  fifteen  hundred  infantry,  leaving 
the  dragoons  behind  him,  as  these  could  be  of  but  little 
service  among  the  mountains,  where  they  would  have 
found  it  next  to  impossible  to  obtain  forage  for  their 
horses.  He  took  with  him  a  large  quantity  of  baggage,  a 
drove  of  black  cattle  for  food,  and  a  thousand  stand  of 
ftrms  to  distribute  among  the  volunteers  who  he  expected 
would  join  him.  As,  however,  none  of  these  came  in  he 
fient  back  seven  hundred  muskets  to  Crieff. 

The  first  object  of  the  march  was  Eort  Augustus,  which 
be  intended  to  make  his  central  post.  As  he  advanced  he 
was  met  by  Captain  Swetenham,  who  informed  him  of  the 
raising  of  the  standard  and  the  gathering  he  had  witnessed. 
As,  however,  only  Lochiel's  clansmen  had  arrived  before 
Swetenham  left,  Cope  considered  his  force  ample  for  the 
purpose,  and  continued  his  march.  In  order  to  reach  Fort 
Augustus,  however,  he  had  to  pass  over  Corry  Arrack,  a 
lofty  and  precipitous  mountain  which  was  ascended  by  a 
military  road  with  fifteen  zigzags,  known  to  the  country 
as  the  devil's  staircase. 

Prince  Charles,  who  had  received  early  news  of  the  ad- 
vance from  Stirling,  had  recognized  the  importance  of  the 
position,  and  having  burned  and  destroyed  all  baggage  that 
would  impede  his  progress  made  a  forced  march  and  reached 
Corry  Arrack  on  the  27th,  before  Sir  John  Cope  had  com- 
menced his  ascent.  As  Sir  John  saw  that  the  formidable 
position  was  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  he  felt  that  it 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  235 

wonld  be  in  vain  to  endeavor  to  force  it.  Each  zigzag 
would  have  to  be  carried  in  turn,  and  the  enterprise  would 
be  a  desperate  one.  Success  would  be  of  no  great  advan- 
tage, as  the  Highlanders,  lightly-clad  and  active,  would 
make  off  and  defy  pursuit;  defeat  would  be  disastrous. 
He,  therefore,  called  a  council  of  war  and  asked  his  officers 
to  decide  whether  it  v/ould  be  best  to  remain  at  Dalwhinnie 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  to  return  to  Stirling,  or  to 
march  to  Inverness,  where  they  would  be  joined  by  the 
well-affected  clans.  He  himself  strongly  urged  the  last 
course,  believing  that  the  prince  would  not  venture  to  de- 
scend into  the  Lowlands  while  he  remained  in  his  rear. 
The  council  of  war  adopted  his  opinion.  No  officer  advo- 
cated remaining  inactive  at  Dalwhinnie,  one  only  supported 
the  alternative  of  the  retreat  to  Stirling,  the  rest  agreed 
upon  an  advance  to  Inverness. 

When  it  was  found  that  Cope's  army  had  moved  away 
without  fighting,  the  exultation  of  the  Highlanders  was 
great.  Most  of  the  chiefs  wished  to  follow  at  once  and 
give  battle,  urging  that  it  would  be  hazardous  to  advance 
south  and  leave  the  enemy  to  cut  off  their  retreat;  but 
the  prince  himself  saw  the  supreme  importance  of  a  descent 
into  the  Lowlands,  and  that  plan  of  action  was  decided 
iii)on. 


236  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE, 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

PRESTONPAKS. 

Advancing  in  high  spirits  through  the  mountains  of 
Badeiioch  Prince  Charles  with  his  army  came  down  into 
the  vale  of  Athole,  and  visited,  with  Tullibardiue,  the 
castlo  of  Blair-Athole,  the  noble  property  of  which  the 
marquis  had  so  long  been  deprived,  owing  to  his  constancy 
to  the  cause  of  the  Stuarts,  but  which  would  again  be  his 
Ovvn  were  this  great  enterprise  successful. 

From  Blair-Athole  the  little  army  moved  on  to  Perth. 
Here  they  were  joined  by  powerful  friends,  of  whom  the 
principal  were  the  young  Duke  of  Perth,  Lord  Nairn,  and 
Lord  George  Murray,  the  younger  brother  of  the  Marquis 
of  Tullibardiue.  Lord  George  Murray  was  but  ten  years 
of  age  when  the  events  of  1715  had  taken  place,  but  four 
years  later  he  came  over  with  the  marquis  with  a  handful 
of  Spaniards  and  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Glenshiels. 
The  influence  of  the  family  obtained  his  pardon  on  the 
plea  of  his  extreme  youth,  but  he  remained  at  heart  a  Jac- 
obite, and,  going  on  the  Continent,  entered  the  service  of 
Sardinia,  then  a  portion  of  the  possessions  of  the  Duke  of 
Savoy,  For  many  years  he  served  abroad,  and  acquired  a 
considerable  reputation  as  an  excellent  officer  and  a  most 
gallant  soldier. 

He  had,  indeed,  a  natural  genius  for  military  operations, 
and  had  he  not  been  thwarted  at  every  turn  by  the  jctd- 
oasy  of  Murray  of  Broughtou  it  is  by  no  means  improbable 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  237 

that  he  wonld  have  brought  the  enterprise  to  a  successful 
termination  and  seated  the  Stuarts  upon  the  throne  of 
England.  The  accession  of  such  an  oflBcer  was  of  tlia 
highest  value  to  the  prince. 

Hitherto  the  army  had  coiisisted  merely  of  wild  clans- 
men, full  of  valor  and  devotion  but  wholly  undisciplined; 
while  among  those  who  accompanied  him,  or  who  had 
joined  him  in  Scotland,  there  was  not  a  single  officer  of 
any  experience  in  war  or  any  military  capacity  whatever. 
Lord  George  Murray  and  the  Duke  of  Perth  were  at  once 
named  generals  in  the  prince's  army;  but  the  command 
in  reality  remained  entirely  in  the  hands  of  Murray,  for 
Lord  Perth,  though  an  estimable  young  nobleman  possessed 
of  considerable  ability,  had  no  military  experience  and  was 
of  a  qniet  and  retiring  disposition. 

Lord  George  Murray  at  once  set  about  raising  the  ten- 
antry of  his  brother,  the  Hanoverian  Duke  of  Athole,  who 
was  absent  in  England,  and  as  these  had  always  remained 
attached  to  the  Stuart  cause,  and  still  regarded  the  Mar- 
quis of  Tullibardine  as  their  rightful  head,  they  willingly 
took  up  arms  upon  Lord  George  Murray's  bidding.  Lord 
George  decided  at  once  that  it  would  be  useless  to  attempt 
to  drill  the  Highlanders  into  regular  soldiers,  but  that  they 
must  be  allowed  to  use  their  national  style  of  fighting  and 
trust  to  their  desperate  charge  with  broadsword  and  target 
to  break  the  enemy's  ranks. 

Unfortunately  dissensions  commenced  among  the  leaders 
from  the  very  first.  Secretary  Murray,  who  desired  to  be 
all-powerful  with  the  prince,  saw  that  he  should  not  suc- 
ceed in  gaining  any  influence  over  so  firm  and  energetic  a 
cliaracter  as  Lord  George  Murray,  while  it  would  be  easy 
for  him  to  sway  the  young  Duke  of  Perth,  and  he  was  not 
long  in  poisoning  the  ear  of  the  latter  against  his  compan- 
ion in  arms  by  representing  to  him  that  Lord  George 
treated  him  as  a  mere  cipher,  although  of  equal  rank  in 


238  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

the  array.  The  secretary's  purpose  Tvas  even  more  easily 
carried  out  with  Prince  Charles.  The  latter  was  no  judge 
of  character,  and  fell  readily  under  the  influence  of  the 
wily  and  unscrupulous  Murray,  who  flattered  his  weak- 
nesses and  assumed  an  air  of  deference  to  his  opinions. 
Lord  George  Murray,  on  the  other  hand,  was  but  too 
prone  to  give  ofEeuse.  He  was  haughty  and  overbearing 
in  manner,  expressed  his  opinions  with  a  directness  and 
bluntness  which  were  very  displeasing  to  the  prince,  and, 
conscious  of  his  own  military  genius  and  experience,  put 
aside  with  open  contempt  the  suggestions  of  those  who 
were  in  truth  ignorant  of  military  matters.  Loyal, 
straightforward,  and  upright,  he  scorned  to  descend  to  the 
arts  of  the  courtier,  and  while  devoting  his  whole  time  to 
his  military  work,  suffered  his  enemies  to  obtain  the  entire 
command  of  the  ear  of  the  prince. 

Konald  was  introduced  to  him  as  soon  as  he  joined  at 
Perth,  and  finding  that  young  Leslie  had  had  some  mili- 
tary experience.  Lord  George  at  once  appointed  him  one 
of  his  aides-de-camp,  and  soon  took  a  warm  liking  to  the 
active  and  eiiergetic  young  officer,  whose  whole  soul  was 
in  his  work,  and  who  cared  nothing  for  the  courtly  gath- 
erings around  the  person  of  the  prince. 

Malcolm  rode  as  Eonald's  orderly,  and  during  the  few 
days  of  their  stay  in  Perth  Eonald  was  at  work  from  morn- 
in-g  till  night  riding  through  the  country  with  messages 
from  Lord  George,  and  in  the  intervals  of  such  duty  in 
trying  to  inculcate  some  idea  of  discipline  into  the  wild 
Highland  levies.  At  this  time  Charles  was  using  all  his 
efforts  to  persuade  Lord  Lovat,  one  oi  the  most  powerful 
of  the  northern  noblemen,  to  join  him,  offering  him  his 
patent  as  Duke  of  Eraser  and  the  lord  lieutenancy  of  tho 
northern  counties. 

Lovat,  however,  an  utterly  nnscrupulous  man,  refused 
openly  to  join,  although  he  sent  repeatedly  assurances  of 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  239 

his  devotion.  Throughout  the  struggle  he  continued  to  act 
a  double  part,  trying  to  keep  friends  with  both  parties,  but 
declaring  for  the  prince  at  the  moment  when  his  fortunes 
were  at  their  highest.  The  result  was  that  while  he 
afforded  the  prince  but  little  real  assistance,  his  conduct 
cost  him  his  head. 

Sir  John  Cope,  finding  that  his  march  to  Inverness  had 
failed  to  draw  the  prince  after  him,  and  had  left  the  Low- 
lands and  the  capital  open  to  the  insurgents,  directed  his 
march  to  Aberdeen,  and  sent  to  Edinburgh  for  transports 
to  bring  down  his  army  to  cover  that  city.  But  Prince 
Charles  determined  to  forestall  him,  and  on  the  11th  of 
September  commenced  his  march  south.  The  age  and 
infirmities  of  the  Marquis  of  Tullibardiue  prevented  his 
accompanying  Prince  Charles  during  active  operations. 

It  was  impossible  for  the  army  to  march  direct  against 
Edinburgh,  as  the  magistrates  of  that  town  had  taken  the 
precaution  to  withdraw  every  ship  and  boat  from  the 
northern  side  of  the  Forth,  and  the  prince  v;as  conse- 
quently obliged  to  make  a  detour  and  to  cross  the  river  at 
the  fords  eight  miles  above  Stirling,  and  then  marching 
rapidly  toward  Edinburgh,  arrived  on  the  evening  of  the 
16th  within  three  miles  of  that  town. 

So  long  as  the  coming  of  the  prince  was  doubtful  the 
citizens  of  Edinburgh  had  declared  their  willingness  to 
defend  the  town  to  the  last.  Volunteer  regiments  had 
been  formed  and  guns  placed  on  the  walls;  but  when  the 
volunteers  were  ordered  to  march  out  with  Hamilton's 
regiment  of  dragoons,  to  oppose  the  advance  of  the  insur- 
gents, the  men  quitted  their  ranks  and  stole  away  to  their 
houses,  leaving  the  dragoons  to  march  out  alone.  The 
latter,  however,  showed  no  greater  courage  than  that  of 
their  citizen  allies,  when  on  the  following  day  they  came 
in  contact  with  a  party  of  mounted  gentlemen  from  the 
prince's  army,   who  fired  their   pistols  at  their  pickets. 


24,0  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

These  rode  ofE  in  haste,  their  panic  was  communicated  to 
the  main  body,  whose  officers  in  vain  endeavored  to  check 
them,  and  the  whole  regiment  galloped  away  in  wild  con- 
fusion, and  passing  close  nuder  the  walls  of  Edinburgh 
continued  their  flight  without  halting  to  Preston.  There 
they  halted  for  the  night;  but  one  of  the  troopers  happen- 
ing In  the  dark  to  fall  into  a  disused  well,  his  shouts  for 
assistance  caused  an  alarm  that  they  were  attacked,  and 
mounting  their  horses  the  regiment  continued  their  flight 
to  Dunbar,  where  they  joined  General  Cope's  army,  which 
had  just  landed  there. 

This  disgraceful  panic  added  to  the  terror  of  the  citizens 
of  Edinburgh,  and  when,  late  in  the  afternoon,  a  sum- 
mons to  surrender  came  in  from  Prince  Charles,  the  coun- 
cil could  arrive  at  no  decision,  but  sent  a  deputation  to 
the  prince  asking  for  delay,  hoping  thereby  that  Cope's 
army  would  arrive  in  time  to  save  them.  But  the  prince 
was  also  well  aware  of  the  importance  of  time,  and  that 
night  he  sent  forward  Lochiel  with  five  hundred  Camerons 
to  lie  in  ambush  near  the  Netherbow  Gate.  They  took 
with  them  a  barrel  of  powder  to  blow  it  in  if  necessary; 
but  in  the  morning  the  gate  was  opened  to  admit  a  car- 
riage, and  the  Highlanders  at  once  rushed  in  and  over- 
powered the  guard,  and  sending  parties  through  the  streets 
they  secured  these  also  without  disturbance  or  bloodshed, 
pnd  when  the  citizens  awoke  in  the  morning  they  found, 
to  their  surprise,  that  Prince  Charles  was  master  of  the 
city. 

The  Jacobite  portion  of  the  population  turned  out  with 
delight  to  greet  the  prince,  while  the  rest  thought  it  poli- 
tic to  imitate  their  enthusiasm.  The  Highlanders  behaved 
with  perfect  order  and  discipline,  and  ijlthough  the  town 
had,  as  it  were,  been  taken  by  storm,  no  single  article  of 
property  was  touched.  An  hour  later  Prince  Charles,  at 
the  head  of  his  troops,  entered  the  royal  palace  of  Holj- 


Bonald  and  Malcolm  astonish  Eispsth  Dow.— Page  249. 

^~Bonnie  Prince  Charlie. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  241 

rood,  being  met  by  a  crowd  of  enthnsiastic  supporters  from 
the  city,  who  received  him  with  loyal  shouts  and  tears  of 

joy. 

In  the  evening  a  grand  ball  was  held  in  the  palace,  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  it  was  within  range  of  the  guns  of 
Edinburgh  Castle,  which  still  held  out.  But  one  day  was 
spent  in  Edinburgh.  This  was  occupied  in  serving  out 
about  a  thousand  muskets  found  in  the  magazines  to  the 
Highlanders,  and  in  obtaining  tents,  shoes,  and  cooking 
vessels,  which  the  town  was  ordered  to  supply.  They 
were  joined  during  the  day  by  many  gentlemen,  and  on 
the  night  of  the  19th  the  army,  two  thousand  five  hundred 
strong,  of  whom  only  fifty  were  mounted,  moved  out  to 
the  village  of  Duddingston.  There  the  prince  that  even- 
ing called  a  council  of  war,  and  proposed  to  march  next 
morning  to  meet  the  enemy  halfway,  and  declared  that  he 
would  himself  lead  his  troops  and  charge  in  the  first  ranks. 

The  chiefs,  however,  exclaimed  against  this,  urging  that 
if  any  accident  happened  to  him  ruin  must  fall  upon  the 
whole,  whether  they  gained  or  lost  the  battle;  and  upon  the 
prince  persisting  they  declared  that  they  would  return  homo 
and  make  the  best  terms  they  could  for  themselves.  He  was 
therefore  obliged  to  give  way,  declaring,  however,  that  he 
would  lead  the  second  line.  The  next  morning  the  array 
commenced  its  march.  They  had  with  them  only  one 
cannon,  so  old  that  it  was  quite  useless,  and  it  was  only 
taken  forward  as  an  encouragement  to  the  Highlanders, 
who  had  the  greatest  respect  for  artillery. 

Sir  John  Cope,  who  had  received  intelligence  of  all  that 
had  happened  at  Edinburgh,  had  also  moved  forward  on 
the  19th,  and  on  the  20th  the  two  armies  came  in  sight  of 
each  other.  The  Highlanders,  after  passing  the  bridge  of 
Musselburgh,  left  the  road,  and  turning  to  the  right  took 
up  their  position  on  the  brow  of  Carberry  Hill,  and  there 
awaited  the  attack.     The  English  forces  were  marching 


242  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

forward  with  high  spirit,  and  believed  that  the  Highlanders 
"wonld  not  even  wait  their  assault.  Cope  liad  with  him 
two  thousand  two  hundred  men,  including  the  six  hundred 
runaway  dragoons.  The  numbers,  therefore,  were  nearly 
equal;  but  as  the  English  were  well  armed,  disciplined, 
and  equipped,  while  only  about  half  the  Highlanders  had 
muskets,  and  as  they  had,  moreover,  six  pieces  of  artillery 
against  the  one  unserviceable  gun  of  Priuce  Charles,  they 
had  every  reason  to  consider  the  victory  to  be  certain. 

On  seeing  the  Highland  array  Cope  drew  up  his  troops 
in  order  of  battle — his  infantry  in  the  center,  with  a  regi- 
ment of  dragoons  and  three  pieces  of  artillery  on  each 
flank.  His  right  was  covered  by  a  park  wall  and  by  the 
village  of  Preston.  On  his  left  stood  Seaton  House,  and 
in  his  rear  lay  the  sea,  with  the  villages  of  Prestonpans 
and  Cockenzie.  Their  front  was  covered  by  a  deep  and 
difiicult  morass. 

It  was  now  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and 
the  Highlanders,  seeing  that  the  English  did  not  advance 
against  them,  clamored  to  be  led  to  the  attack.  Prince 
Charles  was  himself  eager  to  fight,  but  his  generals  per- 
suaded him  to  abstain  from  attacking  the  English  in  such 
a  formidable  position.  The  Highlanders,  however,  fearing 
that  the  English  would  again  avoid  a  battle,  were  not 
satisfied  until  Lord  Nairn  with  five  hundred  men  was  de- 
tached to  the  westward  to  prevent  the  English  from 
inarching  off  toward  Edinburgh. 

During  the  night  the  two  armies  lay  upon  the  ground. 
Cope  retired  to  sleep  at  Cockenzie,  the  prince  lay  down 
in  the  middle  of  his  soldiers.  Before  doing  so,  however, 
he  held  a  council,  and  determined  to  attack  next  morning 
in  spite  of  the  difficulty  of  the  morass.  But  in  the  course 
of  the  night  Andersor  of  Whitburg,  a  gentleman  well 
acquainted  with  the  country,  betliought  himself  of  a  path 
from  the  height  toward  their  right  by  the  farm  of  Ruigan 


BONNIE  PRINCE  OHARLIE,  343 

Head,  -which  in  a  great  measure  avoided  the  morass.  This 
important  fact  he  imparted  to  Lord  George  Murray,  who 
at  once  awoke  the  prince. 

Locheil  and  some  other  chiefs  were  sent  for,  and  it  was 
determined  to  undertake  the  enterprise  at  once.  An  aide- 
de-camp  was  sent  to  recall  Lord  Nairn  and  his  detachment, 
and  under  the  guidance  of  Anderson  the  troops  made  their 
way  across  the  morass.  This  was  not,  however,  accom- 
plished without  great  difficulty,  as  in  some  places  they 
sank  knee-deep.  The  march  was  unopposed,  and  covered 
by  the  darkness  they  made  their  way  across  to  firm  ground 
just  as  the  day  was  breaking  dull  and  foggf.  As  they  did 
so,  however,  the  dragoon  outposts  heard  Ike  sound  of  their 
march,  and  firing  their  pistols  galloped  off  to  give  the 
alarm.  Sir  John  Cope  lost  no  time  in  facing  his  troops 
about,  and  forming  tliem  in  order  of  battle.  He  was  un- 
disturbed while  doing  so,  for  the  Highlanders  were  simi- 
larly occupied. 

As  the  sun  rose  the  mist  cleared  away,  and  the  two 
armies  stood  face  to  face.  The  Macdoualds  had  been 
granted  the  post  of  honor  on  the  Highland  right,  the  line 
being  completed  by  the  Camerons  and  Stuarts,  Prince 
Charles  with  the  second  line  being  close  behind.  The 
Highlanders  uncovered  their  heads,  uttered  a  short  prayer, 
and  then  as  the  pipers  blew  the  signal  they  rushed  forward, 
each  clan  in  a  separate  mass,  and  raising  their  war-cry,  the 
Camerons  and  Stuarts  rushed  straight  at  the  cannon  on 
the  left. 

These  guns  were  served,  not  by  royal  artillerymen,  but 
by  some  seamen  brought  by  Cope  from  the  fleet.  They, 
panic-struck  by  the  wild  rush  of  the  Highlanders,  deserted 
their  guns  and  fled  in  all  directions.  Colonel  Gardiner 
called  upon  his  dragoons  to  follow  him,  and  with  his  offi- 
cers led  them  to  the  charge.  But  the  Stuarts  and  Cam- 
erons, pouring  in  a  volley  from  their  muskets,  charged 


244  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

them  with  their  broadswords,  and  the  dragoons,  panic- 
stricken,  turned  their  horses  and  galloped  ofE. 

Tho  Macdoualds  on  the  right  had  similarly  captured 
three  guns,  and  charging  with  similar  fury  upon  Hamil- 
ton's regiment  of  dragoons,  drove  them  off  the  field,  Mac- 
gregor's  company,  who,  for  want  of  other  weapons  were 
armed  with  scythes,  doing  terrible  execution  among  the 
horses  and  their  riders.  The  English  infantry,  deserted 
by  their  cavalry,  and  with  their  guns  lost,  still  stood  firm, 
and  poured  a  heavy  fire  into  the  Highlanders;  but  tliese, 
as  soon  as  they  had  defeated  the  cavalry,  faced  round  and 
charged  with  fury  upon  both  flanks  of  the  infantry. 
Their  onslaught  was  irresistible.  The  heavy  masses  of  the 
clans  broke  right  through  the  long  line  of  the  English 
infantry,  and  drove  the  latter  backward  in  utter  confusion. 
But  the  retreat  was  impeded  by  the  inclosure  and  park 
wall  of  Preston,  and  the  Highlanders  pressing  on,  the 
greater  portion  of  the  English  infantry  were  killed  or 
taken  prisoners. 

A  hundred  and  seventy  of  the  infantry  alone  succeeded 
in  making  their  escape,  four  hundred  were  killed,  and  the 
rest  captured.  Colonel  Gardiner  and  many  of  his  officers 
were  killed  fighting  bravely,  but  the  loss  of  the  dragoons 
was  small.  Only  thirty  of  the  Highlanders  were  killed, 
and  seventy  wounded.  The  battle  lasted  but  six  minutes, 
and  the  moment  it  had  terminated  Prince  Charles  exerted 
himself  to  the  utmost  to  obtain  mercy  for  the  vanquished. 

He  treated  the  prisoners  with  the  greatest  kindness  and 
consideration,  and  the  wounded  were  relieved  without  any 
distinction  of  friend  or  foe.  The  dragoons  fled  to  Edin- 
burgh, and  dashed  up  the  hill  to  the  castle;  but  the  gov- 
ernor refused  to  admit  them,  and  threatened  to  open  his 
guns  upon  them  as  cowards  who  had  deserted  their  colors. 
Later  on  in  the  day  the  greater  portion  were  rallied  by  Sir 
John  Cope  and  the  Earls  of  Loudon  and  Home;  but  being 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE,  245 

seized  with  a  fresh  panic  tbey  galloped  on  again  at  fnll 
speed  as  far  as  Coldstream,  and  the  next  morning  continued 
their  flight  in  a  state  of  disgraceful  disorder  as  far  as 
Berwick. 

The  contents  of  the  treasure-chest,  consisting  of  two 
thousand  five  hundred  pounds,  with  the  standards  and 
other  trophies,  were  brought  to  Prince  Charles.  The  rest 
of  the  spoil  was  divided  among  the  Highlanders,  of  whom 
a  great  number  immediately  set  off  toward  their  homes  to 
place  the  articles  they  had  gathered  in  safety. 

So  greatly  was  the  Highland  army  weakened  by  the 
number  of  men  who  thus  left  the  ranks  that  the  prince 
was  unable  to  carry  out  his  wish  for  an  instant  advance 
into  Eugland.  His  advisers,  indeed,  were  opposed  to  this 
measure,  urging  that  in  a  short  time  his  force  would  be 
swelled  by  thousands  from  all  parts  of  Scotland;  but  un- 
questionably his  own  view  was  the  correct  one,  and  had  he 
marched  south  he  would  probably  have  met  with  no  resist- 
ance whatever  on  his  march  to  London.  There  were  but 
few  troops  in  England.  A  requisition  had  been  sent  to 
the  Dutch  by  King  George  for  the  six  thousand  auxiliaries 
they  were  bound  to  furnish,  and  a  resolution  was  taken  to 
recall  ten  English  regiments  home  from  Flanders. 

Marshal  Wade  was  directed  to  collect  as  many  troops  as 
he  could  at  Newcastle,  and  the  militia  of  several  counties 
was  called  out;  but  the  people  in  no  degree  responded  to 
the  efforts  of  the  government.  They  looked  on  coldly, 
not  indeed  apparently  favoring  the  rebellion,  but  as  little 
disposed  to  take  part  against  it.  The  state  of  public  feel- 
ing was  described  at  the  time  by  a  member  of  the  adminis- 
tration, Henry  Fox,  in  a  private  letter. 

"England,"  Wade  says,  and  I  believe,  "is  for  the  first 
comer,  and  if  you  can  tell  me  whether  these  six  thousand 
Dutch  and  the  ten  battalions  of  England,  or  five  thousand 
French  or  Spaniards,  will  be  here  first,  you  know  our  fate. 


246  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

The  French  are  not  come,  God  be  thanked;  bnt  had  five 
thousand  landed  in  any  part  of  this  island  a  week  ago,  I 
Terily  believe  the  entire  conquest  would  not  have  cost  a 
battle." 

The  prince  indeed  v/as  doing  his  best  to  obtain  assistance 
from  France,  conscious  how  much  his  final  success  depended 
upon  French  succor. 

King  Louis  for  a  time  appeared  favorable.  The  prince's 
brother,  Henry  of  York,  had  arrived  from  Rome,  and  the 
king  proposed  to  place  him  at  the  head  of  the  Irish  regi- 
ments in  the  king's  service  and  several  others  to  enable 
him  to  eflect  a  landing  in  England;  but  with  his  usual 
insincerity  the  French  king  continued  to  raise  difficulties 
and  cause  delays  nutil  it  was  too  late,  and  he  thus  lost  for- 
ever the  chance  of  placing  the  family  who  had  always  been 
warm  friends  of  France,  and  who  would  in  the  event  of 
success  have  been  his  natural  friends  and  allies,  on  the 
throne  of  England, 

In  the  meantime  Prince  Charles  had  taken  up  his  abode 
in  Edinburgh,  where  he  was  joined  by  most  of  the  gentry 
of  Scotland.  He  was  proclaimed  king  in  almost  every 
town  north  of  the  Tweed,  and  was  master  of  all  Scotland, 
save  some  districts  beyond  Inverness,  the  Highland  forts, 
and  the  castles  of  Edinburgh  and  Stirling.  Prince  Charles 
behaved  with  the  greatest  moderation.  He  forbade  all 
public  rejoicing  for  victory,  sayiug  that  he  could  not  re- 
joice over  the  loss  which  his  father's  misguided  subjects 
had  sustained.  He  abstained  from  any  attempt  to  cap- 
ture Edinburgh  Castle,  or  even  to  cut  off  its  supplies, 
because  the  general  of  the  castle  threatened  that  unless  he 
■were  allowed  to  obtain  provit^ions  he  would  fire  uj^on  the 
city  and  lay  it  in  ruins,  and  he  even  refused  to  interfere 
"with  a  Scotch  minister  who  continued  from  his  pulpit  to 
pray  for  King  George. 
In  one  respect  ho  carried  his  generosity  so  far  as  to  «»x- 


BONNIE  PRINOE  CHARLIE.  247 

cite  discontent  among  his  followers.  It  was  proposed  to 
send  one  of  the  prisoners  taken  at  Preston  to  London  with 
a  demand  for  the  exchange  of  prisoners  taken  or  to  be 
taken  in  the  war,  and  with  the  declaration  that  if  this 
were  refused,  and  if  the  prince's  friends  who  fell  into  the 
enemy's  hands  were  put  to  death  as  rebels,  the  prince 
would  be  compelled  to  treat  his  captives  in  the  same  way. 
It  was  evident  that  this  step  would  be  of  great  utility,  as 
many  of  the  prince's  adherents  hesitated  to  take  up  arms, 
not  from  fear  of  death  in  battle,  but  of  execution  if  taken 
prisoners. 

The  prince,  however,  steadily  refused,  saying,  "It  is 
beneath  me  to  make  empty  threats,  and  I  will  never  put 
such  as  this  into  execution.  I  cannot  in  cold  blood  take 
away  lives  which  I  have  saved  in  the  heat  of  action." 

Six  weeks  after  the  victory  the  prince's  army  mustered 
Dearly  six  thousand  men;  but  Macleod,  Macdonald,  and 
Lovat,  who  could  have  brought  a  further  force  of  four 
thousand  men,  still  held  aloof.  Had  these  three  powerful 
chiefs  joined  at  once  after  the  battle  of  Prestonpaus,  Prince 
Charles  could  have  marched  to  London,  and  would  prob- 
ably have  succeeded  in  placing  his  father  on  the  throne, 
without  having  occasion  to  strike  another  blow;  but  they 
came  not,  and  the  delay  caused  during  the  fruitless  nego- 
tiations enabled  the  English  troops  to  be  brought  over  from 
Flanders,  while  Prince  Charles  on  his  side  only  received  a 
few  small  consignments  of  arms  and  money  from  France. 

But  in  the  meantime  Edinburgh  was  as  gay  as  if  the 
Stuart  cause  had  been  already  won.  Keceptions  and  balls 
followed  each  other  in  close  succession,  and  Prince  Charles 
won  the  hearts  of  all  alike  by  his  courtesy  and  kindness, 
and  by  the  care  which  he  showed  for  the  comfort  of  his 
troops. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  campaign  Lord  Georgo 
JViurray  had  but  one  aide-de-camp  besides  Ronald.     Thia 


248  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

was  an  officer  known  as  the  Chevalier  de  Johnstone,  who 
afterward  wrote  a  history  of  the  campaign.  After  the 
battle  of  Prestonpans  he  received  a  captain's  commission, 
and  immediately  raised  a  company,  with  which  he  joined 
the  Duke  of  Perth's  regiment.  Two  other  gentlemen  of 
family  were  then  appointed  aides-de-camp,  and  this  afforded 
some  relief  to  Eonald,  whose  duties  had  been  extremely 
heavy. 

A  week  after  the  battle  Lord  George  said  to  Eonald: 

"As  there  is  now  no  chance  of  a  movement  at  present, 
and  I  know  that  you  care  nothing  for  the  court  festivities 
here,  I  propose  sending  yon  with  the  officers  who  are 
riding'  into  Glasgow  to-morrow,  with  the  orders  of  the 
council  that  the  city  shall  pay  a  subsidy  of  five  thousand 
pounds  toward  the  necessities  of  the  state.  The  citizens 
are  Hanoverians  to  a  man,  and  may  think  themselves  well 
off  that  no  heavier  charge  is  levied  upon  them  Do  you 
take  an  account  of  what  warlike  stores  there  are  in  the 
magazines  there,  and  see  that  all  muskets  and  ammunition 
are  packed  up  and  forwarded." 

The  next  morning  Konald  started  at  daybreak  with  sev- 
eral other  mounted  gentlemen  and  an  escort  of  a  hundred 
of  Olanranald'S  men,  under  the  command  of  the  eldest  son 
of  that  chief,  for  Glasgow,  and  late  the  same  evening  en- 
tered that  city.  They  were  received  with  acclamation  by 
a  part  of  the  population;  but  the  larger  portion  of  the  cit- 
izens gazed  at  them  from  their  doorways  as  they  passed  in 
sullen  hostility.  They  marched  direct  to  the  barracks 
lately  occupied  .by  the  English  troops,  the  gentlemen  tak- 
ing the  quarters  occupied  by  the  officers.  A  notification 
was  at  once  sent  to  tlie  provost  to  assemble  the  city  council 
at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  to  hear  a  communication 
from  the  royal  council. 

As  soon  as  Malcolm  had  put  up  Ronald's  horse  and  his 
own  in  the  stables,  and  seen  to  their  comfort,  he  and 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  249 

Bonald  sallied  out.  It  was  now  dark,  bat  they  wrapped 
themselves  up  in  their  cloaks  so  as  not  to  be  noticed,  as  in 
the  hostile  state  of  the  town  they  might  have  been  insulted 
and  a  quarrel  forced  upon  them,  had  they  been  recognized 
•  as  two  of  the  new  arrivals.  The  night,  however,  was  dark, 
and  they  passed  without  recognition  through  the  ill-lighted 
streets  to  the  house  of  Andrew  Anderson.  They  raug  at 
the  bell.  A  minute  later  the  grille  was  opened,  and  a 
\oice,  which  they  recognized  as  that  of  Elspeth,  asked 
who  was  there,  and  what  was  their  business. 

"  We  come  to  arrest  one  Elspeth  Dow,  as  one  who  trou- 
bles the  state  and  is  a  traitor  to  his  majesty." 

There  was  an  exclamation  from  within  and  the  door 
suddenly  opened. 

« I  know  your  voice,  bairn.  The  Lord  be  praised  that 
you  have  come  back  home  again!"  and  she  was  about  to 
run  forward,  when  she  checked  herself.  "Is  it  yourself, 
Ronald?" 

"It  is  no  one  else,  Elspeth,"  he  replied,  giving  the  old 
•woman  a  hearty  kiss. 

"And  such  a  man  as  you  have  grown!"  she  exclaimed 
in  surprise.  For  the  two  years  had  added  several  inches 
to  Eonald's  stature,  and  he  now  stood  over  six  feet  in 
height. 

"And  have  you  no  welcome  for  me,  Elspeth?"  Malcolm 
asked,  coming  forward. 

"The  Lord  preserve  us!"  Elspeth  exclaimed.  "Why, 
it's  my  boy,  Malcolm  !" 

"Tui*ned  up  again  like  a  bad  penny,  you  see,  Elspeth." 

"What  is  it,  Elspeth?"  Andrew's  voice  called  from 
above.  "  Who  are  these  men  you  are  talking  to,  and  what 
do  they  want  at  this  time  of  night?" 

"They  want  some  supper,  Andrew,"  Malcolm  called 
back,  "and  that  badly." 

In  a  moment  Andrew  ran  down  and  clasped  his  brother's 


250  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

hand.  In  the  darkness  he  did  not  notice  Malcolm's  com- 
panion, and  after  the  first  greeting  with  his  brother  led 
the  way  upstairs. 

"It  is  my  brother  Malcolm,"  he  said  to  his  wife  as  he 
entered  the  room. 

Eonald  followed  Malcolm  forward.  As  the  light  fell  on 
his  face  Andrew  started,  and,  as  Eonald  smiled,  ran  for- 
ward and  clasped  him  iu  his  arms. 

"It  is  Ronald,  wife!  Ah,  my  boy,  have  you  come  back 
to  ns  again?" 

Mrs.  Anderson  received  Eonald  with  motherly  kindness. 

"  We  had  heard  of  your  escape  before  your  letter  came 
to  us  from  Paris.  Our  city  constables  brought  back  the 
news  of  how  you  had  jumped  overboard,  and  had  been 
pulled  into  a  boat  and  disappeared.  And  finely  they  were 
laughed  at  when  they  told  their  tale.  Then  came  your 
letter  saying  that  it  was  Malcolm  who  had  met  you  with 
the  boat,  and  how  you  had  sailed  away  and  been  wrecked 
on  the  coast  of  France;  but  since  then  we  have  heard 
nothing." 

"I  wrote  twice,"  Eonald  said;  "but  owing  to  tlie  war 
there  have  been  no  regular  communications,  and  I  suppose 
my  letters  got  lost." 

"And  I  suppose  you  have  both  come  over  to  have  a 
hand  in  this  mad  enterprise?" 

"I  don't  know  whether  it  is  mad  or  not,  Andrew;  but 
we  have  certainly  come  over  to  have  a  hand  in  it,"  Mal- 
colm said.  "And  now,  before  we  have  a  regular  talk,  let 
me  tell  you  that  we  are  famishing.  I  know  your  supper  is 
long  since  over,  but  doubtless  Elspeth  has  still  something 
to  eat  iu  her  cupboard.     Oh,  here  she  comes!" 

Elspeth  soon  placed  a  joint  of  cold  meat  upon  the  table, 
and  Eonald  and  Malcolm  set  to  at  once  to  satisfy  their 
hunger.  Then  a  jar  of  whisky  and  glasses  were  set  upon 
the  table,  and  pipes  lighted,  and  Eonald  began  a  detailed 


BOI^NTK  PBTNCE  CHARLIF!.  25\ 

nairation  of  all  that  had  taken  place  since  they  had  last 
met. 

"  Had  my  father  and  mother  known  that  I  was  coming 
to  Scotland,  and  should  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  you 
both,  they  would  have  sent  you  their  warmest  thanks  and 
gratitude  for  your  kindness  to  me,"  he  concluded.  "For 
over  and  over  again  have  I  heard  them  say  how  deeply 
they  felt  indebted  to  you  for  your  care  of  me  during  so 
many  years,  and  how  they  wished  that  they  could  see  yon 
and  thank  you  in  person." 

"What  we  did  was  done,  in  the  first  place,  for  my 
brother  Malcolm,  and  afterward  for  love  of  you,  Ronald; 
and  right  glad  am  I  to  hear  that  you  obtained  the  freedom 
of  your  parents  and  a  commission  as  an  officer  in  the  serv- 
ice of  the  King  of  France.  I  would  be  glad  that  you  had 
come  over  here  on  any  other  errand  than  that  which  brings 
you.  Things  have  gone  on  well  with  you  so  far;  but  how 
■will  they  end?  I  hear  that  the  Jacobites  of  England  are 
not  stirring,  and  you  do  not  think  that  with  a  few  thou- 
sand Highland  clansmen  yon  are  going  to  conquer  the 
English  army  that  beat  the  French  at  Dettingen,  and  well- 
nigh  overcame  them  at  Fontenoy.  Ah,  lad,  it  will  prove 
a  sore  day  for  Scotland  when  Charles  Stuart  set  foot  on 
our  soil !" 

"We  won't  talk  about  that  now,  Andrew,"  Malcolm 
said  good-temperedly.  "The  matter  has  got  to  be  fought 
out  with  the  sword,  and  if  our  tongues  were  to  wag  all 
night  they  could  make  no  difference  one  way  or  another. 
So  let  us  not  touch  upon  politics.  But  I  must  say,  that 
as  far  as  Eonaid  and  I  are  concerned,  we  did  not  embark 
on  this  expedition  because  we  thought  that  it  was  going 
to  be  successful,  or  because  we  had  at  the  moment  any 
great  intention  of  turning  Hanoverian  George  off  his 
throne;  but  simply  because  Ronald  had  made  France  too 
liot  to  hold  him,  and  this  was  the  simplest  way  that  pre- 


252  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

seuted  itself  of  getting  out  of  the  country.  As  long  as 
there  are  blows  to  be  struck  we  shall  do  our  best.  When 
there  is  no  more  fighting  to  be  done,  either  becanse  King 
James  is  seated  on  his  throne  in  London,  or  because  the 
clans  are  scattered  and  broken,  we  shall  make  for  France 
again,  where  by  that  time  I  hope  the  king  will  have  got 
over  the  breach  of  his  edict  and  the  killing  of  his  favorite, 
and  where  Eonald's  father  and  mother  will  be  longing  for 
his  presence." 

"Eh,  but  it'seawful,  sirs,"  Elspeth,  who  as  an  old  and 
favorite  servant  had  remained  in  the  room  after  laying 
the  supper  and  listened  to  the  conversation,  put  in,  "to 
think  that  a  young  gallant  like  our  Eouald  should  have 
slain  a  man !  He  who  ought  not  yet  to  have  done  with 
his  learning,  to  be  going  about  into  wars  and  battles,  and 
to  have  stood  up  against  a  great  French  noble  and  slain 
him.     Eh,  but  it's  awful  to  think  of!" 

"It  would  be  much  more  awful,  Elspeth,  if  the  French 
noble  had  killed  me,  at  least  from  the  light  in  which  I 
look  at  it." 

"That's  true  enough,"  Elspeth  said.  "And  if  he 
■wanted  to  kill  you,  and  it  does  seem  from  what  you  say 
that  he  did  want,  of  course  I  cannot  blame  you  for  killing 
him;  but  to  us  quiet  bodies  here  in  Glasgow  it  seems  an 
awful  affair;  though,  after  you  got  in  a  broil  here  and 
drew  on  the  city  watch,  I  ought  not  to  be  surprised  at 
anything." 

"And  now  we  must  go,"  Ronald  said,  rising.  "It  is 
well-nigh  midnight,  and  time  for  all  decent  people  to  be 
in  bed." 


BONNIE  PEINC'S  OHABLJM  263 


CHAPTER  XY. 

A    MISSION. 

The  next  morning  early  Ronald  proceeded  to  take  an 
inventory  of  the  arms  and  ammunition  left  behind  by  the 
troops  when  they  had  marched  to  join  Sir  John  Cope  at 
Stirling.  Having  done  this  he  saw  that  they  were  all 
packed  np  in  readiness  to  be  sent  olf  the  next  day  under 
the  escort,  who  were  also  to  convey  the  money  which  the 
city  was  required  to  pay.  For  the  provost  and  council, 
knowing  that  it  was  useless  to  resist  tlie  order,  and  perhaps 
anxious  in  the  present  doubtful  state  of  affairs  to  stand 
well  with  Prince  Charles,  had  arranged  that  the  money 
should  be  forthcoming  on  the  following  morning.  After 
his  work  was  over  Ronald  again  spent  the  evening  at 
Andrew  Anderson's. 

The  next  morning  he  returned  to  Edinburgh  with  the 
arms  and  escort.  It  was  late  when  he  arrived;  but  as  he 
knew  that  Lord  George  Murray  would  be  at  work  in  his 
tent,  he  repaired  there  at  once. 

"We  have  brought  back  the  money  and  arms,  Lord 
George.  I  have  handed  over  the  arms  and  ammunition  at 
the  magazine  tent,  and  those  in  charge  of  the  money  have 
gone  into  the  town  with  a  part  of  the  escort  to  give  it  over 
to  t!ie  treasurer." 

"How  many  arms  did  you  get?" 

"Two  hundred  and  twenty-three  muskets  and  eighty 
pistols,  fourteen  kegs  of  gunpowder,  and  well-nigh  a  ton 
of  lead," 


254  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"That  is  more  than  I  had  expected.  And  now,  Leslie, 
I  have  an  important  mission  for  you.  The  prince  this 
morning  asked  me  whom  I  could  recommend,  as  a  sure 
and  careful  person  likely  to  do  the  business  well,  to  go 
down  into  Lancashire  to  visit  the  leading  Jacobites  there, 
and  urge  them  to  take  up  arms.  I  said  that  I  knew  of 
none  who  would  be  more  likely  to  succeed  than  yourself. 
Your  residence  of  two  years  in  France  has  rubbed  off  any 
Scotch  dialect  you  may  have  had,  and  at  any  rate  you 
could  pass  for  a  northern  Englishman.  In  the  next  place, 
your  youth  would  enable  you  to  pass  unsuspected  where 
an  older  man  might  be  questioned.  The  prince  agreed  at 
once,  and  took  shame  to  himself  that  he  had  not  before 
given  promotion  to  one  who  was  his  companion  on  his 
voyage  to  Scotland,  the  more  so  as  he  had  made  Johnstone 
a  captain.  Your  claims  are  far  greater  than  his,  and 
moreover  you  have  served  as  an  officer  in  the  French 
army.  But,  in  truth,  the  fault  is  in  some  degree  your 
own,  for  you  spend  all  your  time  in  carrying  out  your 
duties,  and  do  not  show  yourself  at  any  of  the  levees  or 
festivities.  And  you  know,  with  princes,  as  witii  other 
people,  out  of  sight  is  out  of  mind.  However,  the  prince 
at  once  took  steps  to  repair  the  omission,  and  has  signed 
your  commission  as  captain.  Here  it  is.  You  will  under- 
stand, of  course,  that  it  is  for  past  services,  and  that  you " 
are  perfectly  free  to  decline  this  mission  to  the  south  if 
you  would  rather  not  undertake  it.  It  is  unquestionably 
a  dangerous  one." 

•'I  will  undertake  it  readily,  sir,"  Eonald  said,  "and  I 
thank  you  sincerely  for  bringing  my  name  before  the 
prince,  and  the  prince  himself  tor  his  kindness  in  granting 
me  his  commission,  which  so  far  I  have  done  but  little  to 
win.  I  shall  be  able,  I  trust,  to  carry  out  this  mission  to 
his  satisfaction;  and  although  I  am  ignorant  of  the  coun- 
try I  shall  have  the  advantage  of  taking  with  me  my  brave 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  25t 

foHower,  Malcolm  Anderson,  who  for  years  was  in  the 
habit  of  goiug  with  droves  of  cattle  down  into  Lancashire, 
and  will  not  only  know  the  country  but  have  acquaint- 
ances there,  and  being  known  as  a  drover  would  pass  with- 
out suspicion  of  his  being  engaged  with  politics." 

"That  will  do  well,"  Lord  George  said.  "I  will  get 
the  list  of  persons  on  whom  you  should  call  prepared  to- 
morrow. You  had  best  go  to  Sir  Thomas  Sheridan  and 
Francis  Strickland,  who  came  over  with  you,  and  get  them 
to  present  you  to  Secretary  Murray  and  recommend  you  to 
him.  If  he  hears  that  your  mission  is  of  my  recommenda- 
tion he  will  do  all  he  can  to  set  the  prince  against  you. 
Everything  that  I  do  is  wrong  in  his  eyes,  and  I  do  believe 
that  he  would  ruin  the  cause  in  order  to  injure  me,  did  hp 
see  no  other  way  to  accomplish  that  end.  Therefore,  if 
he  mentions  my  name,  as  he  is  like  to  do,  knowing  that 
vou  have  been  my  aide-de-camp,  be  sure  that  you  say  nought 
in  my  favor,  or  it  will  ruin  you  with  him.  You  will,  of 
course,  attend  the  prince's  levee  to-morrow,  and  had  best 
make  preparation  to  start  at  nightfall." 

The  next  day,  accordingly,  Konald  called  upon  Sir 
Thomas  Sheridan  and  Strickland,  and  telling  them  that 
the  prince  had  determined  to  send  him  on  a  mission  into 
Lancashire,  asked  them  to  present  him  to  Secretary  Mur- 
ray, from  whom  he  would  receive  orders  for  his  guidance 
and  instruction  as  to  the  persons  whom  he  was  to  visit. 
The  two  gentlemen  proceeded  with  him  to  the  house  in 
which  Secretary  Murray  had  taken  up  his  abode,  and  in- 
troduced him,  with  much  warmth,  as  a  fellow-passenger 
on  board  the  Don  telle. 

"You  have  been  serving  since  as  Lord  Murray's  aide-de- 
camp?" 

"Yes,  sir,  the  prince  recommended  me  to  him  at  Perth, 
and  I  have  since  had  the  honor  to  carry  his  orders." 

"Captain  Leslie,  for  so  the  prince  has  granted  him  a 


356  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

commission,"  Sir  Thomas  said,  "has  served  two  years  in 
the  French  array,  and  was  present  at  Dettingen  and 
Fontenoy.  He  mentioned  to  me  on  the  voyage  that  he 
had  the  honor  of  beina;  presented  by  Marshal  Saxe  to  the 
King  of  France,  and  that  he  received  his  commission  from 
the  marshal,  to  whom  he  had  acted  as  aide-de-camp  at 
Fontenoy." 

"You  have  begun  well,  indeed,  young  sir,"  Murray  said, 
"to  have  received  at  your  age,  for  I  judge  that  you  are  not 
yet  twenty,  commissions  in  the  French  army  and  ours." 

Eonald  bowed. 

"  He  has  another  claim  upon  all  you  Scottish  gentlemen," 
Sir  Thomas  said,  "for  Colouel  Macdonald  told  us,  when 
he  introduced  him  to  us  at  Nautes,  that  it  was  through 
his  interference  and  aid  alone  that  he  escaped  safely  from 
Glasgow,  and  that  all  his  papers,  with  the  names  of  the 
king's  friends  in  Scotland,  did  not  fall  into  George's 
hands.  He  was  taken  prisoner  for  his  share  in  that  affair, 
but  escaped  from  the  ship  in  the  Thames,  and  succeeded 
in  crossing  to  France.  So  you  see,  young  as  he  is,  he  has 
rendered  good  service  to  the  cause." 

The  expression  of  the  secretary's  face,  which  had  before 
been  cold  and  distant,  changed  at  once.  He  had  been 
aware  that  Eonald  had  been  chosen  for  this  business  on 
the  recommendation  orf  Lord  George  Murray,  and  his  jeal- 
ousy of  that  nobleman  had  at  once  set  him  against  Eonald, 
of  whose  antecedents  he  was  entirely  ignorant;  but  what 
he  now  heard  entirely  altered  the  case,  and  disposed  him 
most  favorably  toward  him,  especially  as  his  own  name 
■would  have  been  one  of  the  most  prominent  in  the  list,  he 
having  been  in  constant  communication  with  Colonel  Mac- 
donald  during  the  stay  of  the  latter  in  Scotland. 

"I  had  no  idea  it  was  to  you  that  we  are  all  so  indebted," 
he  said  warmly.  "I  heard  from  Colonel  Macdonald,  after 
his  return  to  France,  that  he  owed  his  escape  entirely  to 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  257 

the  quickness  and  bravery  of  a  young  gentleman  of  -whose 
name  he  was  ignorant,  but  who,  lie  feared,  would  suffer 
for  his  interference  on  his  behalf,  and  prayed  me  and  all 
other  loyal  gentlemen  of  Scotland  to  befriend  you  should 
they  ever  discover  your  name,  for  that  we  assuredly  owed 
it  to  you  that  we  escaped  imprisonment,  if  not  worse.  I 
am  truly  glad  to  meet  you  and  thank  yoa  in  person.  And 
so  you  are  going  on  this  mission?" 

"I  have  undertaken  to  do  my  best,  sir.  Fortunately  I 
tave  a  faithful  follower  who  fought  beside  my  father  in 
'15,  followed  him  to  France  and  fought  by  his  side  in  the 
Scottish  Dragoons  for  fifteen  years,  and  who  has  since  been 
my  best  friend.  He  worked  for  years,  when  I  was  a  child, 
as  a  drover  of  cattle  from  the  Highlands  into  England. 
He  knows  Cumberland  and  Lancashire  well,  and  would  be 
known  at  every  wayside  inn.  He  will  accompany  me,  and 
I  shall  pass  as  his  nephew,  therefore  no  suspicion  will  be 
likely  to  light  upon  me." 
"And  you  set  out  to-night?" 
"Yes,  sir,  if  my  orders  and  letters  are  ready." 
"There  will  not  be  many  letters,"  the  secretary  said. 
"It  would  not  do  for  you  to  have  documents  upon  you 
which  might  betray  you  and  our  friends  there  should  you 
be  arrested.  I  will  give  you  a  list  of  the  gentlemen  on 
whom  you  have  to  call,  which  you  had  best  learn  by  heart 
and  destroy  before  you  cross  the  frontier.  You  shall  have 
one  paper  only,  and  that  written  so  small  that  it  can  be 
carried  in  a  quilL  This  you  can  show  to  one  after  the 
other.  If  you  hud  yon  are  iu  danger  of  arrest  you  can 
destroy  or  swallow  it.  I  will  give  them  to  you  at  the 
prince's  levee  this  afternoon,  and  will  send  to  your  tent  a 
purse  of  gold  for  yonr  expenses." 

"  I  shall  need  but  little  for  that,  sir,"  Ronald  said,  smiling. 

"For  your  expenses,  no,"  the  secretary  said;  "but  one 

never  can  say  what  money  may  be  required  for.     You  may 


258  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

have  to  bny  fresh  horses,  you  may  want  it  to  bribe  some 
one  to  conceal  you.  Money  is  always  nseful,  my  young 
friend.  By  the  way,  what  family  of  Leslies  do  yon  belong 
to?  I  heard  that  one  of  your  name  had  accompanied  the 
prince,  but  no  more." 

"My  father  was  Leslie  of  Glenlyon." 

"  Indeed  !"  the  secretary  exclaimed.  "  Of  course,  I  know 
the  name  well.  The  lands  were  confiscated;  but  we  shall 
soon  set  that  right,  and  I  will  see  that  they  are  added  to 
when  the  time  comes  to  reward  the  king's  friends  and 
punish  his  foes." 

Ronald  now  took  his  leave  and  returned  to  Malcolm, 
who  was  making  preparation  for  the  enterprise.  He  had 
already  purchased  two  suits  of  clothes,  such  as  would  be 
worn  by  Lowland  drovers,  and  was  in  high  spirits,  being 
more  elated  than  was  Ronald  himself  at  the  latter's  pro- 
motion. In  the  course  of  the  day  he  bought  two  rough 
ponies,  as  being  more  suitable  for  the  position  they  were 
to  assume  than  the  horses  with  which  they  had  been  fur- 
nished at  Perth.  Eonald  attended  the  levee,  and  thanked 
the  prince  for  the  favor  which  he  bestowed  upon  him. 

"  You  are  a  young  gentleman  after  my  own  heart," 
Prince  Charles  said,  "and  I  promised  myself  on  shipboard 
that  we  should  be  great  friends;  but  I  have  been  so  busy 
since  I  landed,  and  you  have  been  so  occupied  in  my  serv- 
ice, that  I  have  seen  but  little  of  you.  On  your  return  I 
hope  that  I  shall  be  able  to  have  you  near  my  person,  i 
am  half  jealous  of  you,  for  while  you  are  younger  than  v 
am  you  have  seen  good  service  and  taken  part  in  great 
battles,  but  hitherto  I  have  led  a  life  almost  of  idleness." 

Ronald  bowed  deeply  at  the  prince's  gracious  speech. 
On  his  return  to  his  tent  he  found  a  messenger  from  the 
secretary  with  a  purse  which,  on  counting  its  contents, 
they  found  to  amount  to  a  hundred  guineas. 

They  started  immediately,  and  traveled  twenty  miles 
"before  stopping  for  the  night  at  a  small  wayside  inn. 


BONNIE  PBINGB  CHARLIE.  259 

"This  seems  like  old  times  to  me,"  Malcolm  said  as, 
after  eating  supper,  they  sat  by  a  tnrf  fire,  "except  that 
on  my  way  down  I  had  the  herd  to  look  after.  There  is 
no  fear  of  our  being  questioned  or  suspected  till  we  reach 
the  border,  for  there  is  not  an  English  soldier  between  the 
Forth  and  the  Tweed;  nor  is  it  likely  that  we  shall  meet 
with  any  difficulty  whatever  till  we  get  to  Carlisle.  Cops's 
forces,  or  what  remain  of  them  are  at  Newcastle,  and  it 
will  be  there  that  the  English  will  gather,  and  the  western 
road  is  likely  to  be  open  until,  at  any  rate,  Prince  Charles 
moves  south.  George's  troops  have  plenty  to  think  about 
without  interfering  with  the  Lowland  drovers.  At  the 
same  time,  after  we  have  once  crossed  the  Tweed,  we  may 
as  well  leave  the  highroad.  I  know  every  by-path  over 
the  fells." 

On  the  third  day  after  starting  they  crossed  the  border 
and  were  among  the  hills  of  Cumberland.  They  found 
that  among  the  villages  great  apprehension  existed.  The 
tales  of  the  rapine  and  destruction  wrought  in  the  old 
times  by  the  Scottish  forays  had  been  handed«down  from 
father  to  son,  and  nothing  less  than  the  destruction  of 
their  homes  and  the  loss  of  their  flocks  and  herds  was 
looked  for.  Malcolm  was  welcomed  warmly  at  the  little 
village  inn  where  they  put  up  for  the  night. 

"Why,  it's  well-nigh  three  years  since  I  saw  you  last," 
the  host  said,  "and  before  that  it  was  seldom  two  months 
without  our  seeing  you.  What  have  you  been  doing  with 
yourself?" 

"I  have  been  gathering  the  herds  in  the  Highlands," 
Malcolm  said,  "while  others  have  driven  them  down  for 
sale;  but  at  present  my  occupation  is  gone.  The  High- 
landers are  swarming  like  angry  bees  whose  hive  has  been 
disturbed,  and  even  if  we  could  collect  a  herd  it  would  not 
be  safe  to  drive  it  south;  it  would  be  seized  and  dispatched 
to  Edinburgh  for  the  use  of  the  clans  there." 


260  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"Is  it  trne  that  there  are  fifty  thousand  of  them,  and 
that  they  have  sworn  to  kill  every  English  man,  woman, 
and  child?" 

"No,  they  are  not  so  strong  as  that,"  Malcolm  said. 
"From  what  I  hear  I  should  say  they  were  not  more  than 
half;  and  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  occasion  for  peaceful 
people  to  be  afraid,  for  they  say  that  the  prince  has  treated 
all  the  prisoners  who  fell  into  his  hands  in  the  kindest 
manner,  and  that  he  said  that  the  English  are  his  father's 
subjects  as  well  as  the  Scots,  and  that  he  will  see  that 
harm  is  done  to  no  man." 

"I  am  right  glad  to  hear  it,"  the  innkeeper  said.  "I 
don't  know  that  I  am  much  afraid  myself;  but  my  wife 
and  daughter  are  in  a  terrible  fright,  and  wanted  me  to 
quit  the  house  and  go  south  till  it  is  all  over." 

"There  is  no  occasion  for  that,  man,"  Malcolm  said; 
"you  "will  have  no  reason  for  fear  were  the  whole  of  the 
clans  to  march  through  your  village,  unless  you  took  it 
into  your  head  to  stand  at  the  door  and  shout,  'God  bless 
King  George.' " 

"I  care  not  a  fig  about  King  George  or  King  James," 
the  man  said.  "It's  naught  to  me  who  is  king  at  London, 
and  as  far  as  I  know  that's  the  way  with  all  here.  Let 
them  fight  it  out  together,  and  leave  us  hard-working  folk 
to  ourselves." 

"I  don't  suppose  either  James  or  George  would  care  for 
that,"  Malcolm  said,  laughing;  "but  from  what  I  have 
heard  of  Prince  Charles  I  should  say  that  there  is  nothing 
in  the  world  that  he  would  like  better  than  to  stand  with 
broadsword  or  dagger  against  the  Duke  of  Cumberland, 
and  so  settle  the  dispute." 

"That  would  be  the  most  sensible  thing  to  my  mind," 
the  innkeeper  said;  "but  what  brings  you  here,  Anderson, 
since  you  have  no  herd  with  you?" 

'*  I  am  just  getting  out  of  it  all,"  Malcolm  said.     "  I  have 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  261 

had  my  share  of  hard  knocks,  and  want  no  more  of  them.  I 
don't  want  to  quarrel  with  Highlanders  or  Lowlanders,  and 
as  trade  is  at  a  standstill  at  present,  and  there's  nothing  for 
me  to  do  in  the  Highlands,  I  thought  I  would  come  south 
till  it  was  all  over.  There  is  money  to  collect  and  things 
to  look  after,  and  I  have  to  notify  to  our  regular  customers 
that  the  herds  will  come  down  again  as  soon  as  the  tempest 
is  over;  and  between  ourselves,"  he  said  in  a  lower  voice, 
"I  wanted  to  get  my  nephew  out  of  harm's  way.  He  has 
a  hankering  to  join  the  prince's  army,  and  I  don't  want 
to  let  him  get  his  brains  knocked  out  in  a  quarrel  which 
isn't  his,  so  I  have  brought  him  along  with  me." 

"He  is  a  good-looking  young  fellow,  I  can  see,  and  a 
strong  one.  I  don't  wonder  that  he  wanted  to  mount  the 
white  cockade;  lads  are  always  v/auting  to  run  their  heads 
into  danger.  You  have  had  your  share  of  it,  as  you  say; 
still  you  are  wise  to  keep  the  lad  out  of  it.  I  don't  hold 
with  soldiering,  or  fighting  in  quarrels  that  don't  concern 
yon." 

Malcolm  and  Eonald  traveled  through  Cumberland  and 
"Westmoreland,  calling  upon  many  of  the  gentlemen  to 
whom  the  latter  had  been  charged  to  deliver  Prince 
Charles'  messages.  They  could  not,  however,  flatter 
themselves  tliat  their  mission  was  a  success,  for  from  few 
of  those  on  whom  they  called  did  they  receive  assurances 
that  they  were  prepared  to  take  action;  all  the  gentlemen 
professed  affection  for  the  Stuarts,  hut  deprecated  a  de- 
scent into  England  unless  the  prince  were  accompanied  by 
a  strong  body  of  French  troops. 

The  rising  of  '15  had  been  disastrous  for  the  Jacobites 
of  the  North  of  England,  and  though  all  declared  that 
they  were  ready  again  to  take  up  arms  and  risk  all  for  the 
canse  of  the  Stuarts,  if  the  prince  was  at  the  head  of  a 
force  which  rendered  success  pfohable,  they  were  unani- 
mously of  opinion  that  it  would  be  nothing  short  of  mad- 


UeZ  BONNIE  PIUNCE  CHARLIE. 

nesa  to  rise  until  at  any  rate  the  prince  had  marched  irto 
England  at  the  head  of  a  strong  army. 

The  principal  personage  upon  whom  they  called  was 
Mr.  Eatcliff,  a  brother  of  the  Earl  of  Derwentwater,  who 
Lad  been  executed  after  the  rising  of  '15.  That  gentle- 
man assured  them  that  he  himself  was  ready  to  join  the 
prince  as  soon  as  he  came  south,  but  that  he  wished  the 
prince  to  know  that  in  his  opinion  no  large  number  of 
English  would  join. 

"The  memory  of  '15  is  still  too  fresh,"  be  said;  "while 
the  Stuarts  have  been  absent  so  long  that,  although  there 
are  great  numbers  who  would  prefer  them  to  the  Hano- 
verians, I  do  not  believe  that  men  have  the  cause  suffi- 
ciently at  heart  to  risk  life  and  property  for  it.  Many 
will  give  their  good  wishes,  but  few  will  draw  their  swords. 
That  is  what  I  wish  you  to  say  to  Prince  Charles.  Among 
gentlemen  like  myself  the  feeling  of  respect  and  loyalty  to 
his  father's  house  is  as  strong  as  ever,  and  we  shall  join 
him,  however  desperate,  in  our  opinion,  the  chances  of 
success  may  be;  but  he  will  see  that  the  common  people, 
will  stand  aloof,  and  leave  the  battle  to  be  fought  ont  by 
the  clansmen  on  our  side  and  George's  troops  on  the 
other." 

Some  weeks  were  passed  in  traversing  the  country  to 
and  fro,  for  the  desired  interviews  Avere  often  only  obtained 
after  considerable  loss  of  time.  They  could  not  ride  up  as 
two  Highland  drovers  to  a  gentleman's  house,  and  had  to 
■wait  their  chances  of  meeting  those  they  wished  to  see  on 
the  highroad  or  of  sending  notes  requesting  an  interview, 
couched  in  such  terms  that  while  they  would  be  nnder- 
etood  by  those  to  whom  they  were  addressed  they  would 
compromise  no  one  if  they  fell  into  other  hands.  There 
was  indeed  the  greatest  necessity  for  caution,  for  the  au- 
thorities in  all  the  towns  and  villnges  had  received  orders 
irom  government  to  be  on  tiie  lookout  for  emissaries  from 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  263 

the  norfch,  and  they  were  frequently  exposed  to  sharp  ex- 
amination and  question.  Indeed  it  was  only  Malcolm's 
familiarity  with  the  country,  and  the  fact  that  he  had  so 
many  acquaintances  ready  to  testify  that  he  was,  as  he 
said,  a  Scotch  drover,  in  the  hahit  for  many  years  of  jour- 
neying down  from  the  north  with  cattle,  that  enabled 
them  to  escape  arrest. 

After  much  thought  they  had  decided  upon  a  place  of 
concealment  for  the  quill  containing  Eonald's  credentials, 
which  would,  they  thought,  defy  the  strictest  scrutiny. 
A  hole  had  been  bored  from  the  back  into  the  heel  of 
Eonald's  boot  deep  enough  to  contain  the  quill,  and  after 
this  was  inserted  in  the  hiding-place  the  hole  was  filled  up 
with  cobbler's  wax,  so  that  it  would  need  a  close  examina- 
tion indeed  to  discover  its  existence.  Thus,  although  they 
were  several  times  closely  searched,  no  document  of  a  sus- 
picious nature  was  found  upon  them. 

Their  money  was  the  greatest  trouble,  as  the  mere  fact 
of  so  large  a  sum  being  carried  by  two  drovers  would  in 
itself  have  given  rise  to  suspicions,  although  had  they  been 
on  their  return  toward  Scotland  the  possession  of  such  an 
amount  would  have  been  easily  explained  as  the  proceeds 
of  the  sale  of  the  cattle  they  had  brought  down.  They 
had  therefore  left  the  greater  part  of  it  with  a  butcher  in 
Carlisle,  with  whom  Malcolm  had  often  had  dealings,  re- 
taining only  ten  pounds  for  their  necessary  expenses. 

The  day  after  they  reached  Manchester  four  constables 
came  to  the  little  inn  where  they  were  stopping  and  told 
them  that  they  were  to  accompany  them  before  the  magis- 
trates. 

"I  should  like  to  know  what  offense  we  are  charged 
with,"  Malcolm  said  angrily.  "Things  have  come  to  a 
pretty  pass,  indeed,  when  quiet  drovers  are  to  be  hauled 
before  magistrates  without  rhyme  or  reason." 

"  You  will  hear  the  charge  quickly  enough  when  you 


264  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

are  before  their  worships,"  the  constable  said;  "but  that 
is  no  affair  of  mine— my  orders  are  simply  to  take  you 
there." 

"Well,  of  course  we  must  go,"  Malcolm  said  grum- 
blingly;  "but  here  we  have  been  well-nigk  twenty  years 
traveling  to  and  fro  between  England  and  Scotland,  as  my 
host  here  can  testify,  without  such  a  thing  happening 
before.  I  suppose  somebody  has  been  robbed  on  the  high- 
way, and  so  you  sharp-sighted  gentlemen  clap  hands  ou 
the  first  people  you  come  across." 

Three  magistrates  were  sitting  when  Eonald  and  Mal- 
colm were  brought  into  the  court-house.  They  were  first 
asked  the  usual  questions  as  to  their  names  and  business, 
and  then  one  of  the  magistrates  said: 

"Your  story  is  a  very  plausible  one;  but  it  happens  that 
I  have  here  before  me  the  leports,  sent  in  from  a  score  of 
different  places,  for  in  times  like  these  it  is  needful  to 
know  what  kinds  of  persons  are  traveling  through  the 
country,  and  two  men  answering  to  your  description  are 
reported  to  have  visited  almost  every  one  of  these  places. 
It  is  stated  in  nearly  every  report  that  you  are  drovers 
ordinarily  engaged  in  bringing  down  herds  of  Highland 
cattle,  and  it  is  added  that  in  every  case  this  account  was 
verified  by  persons  who  have  previously  known  you.  All 
this  would  seem  natural  enough,  but  you  seem  to  have 
journeyed  hither  and  thither  without  any  fixed  object. 
Sometimes  you  have  stopped  for  two  days  at  little  villages, 
where  you  could  have  had  no  business,  and,  in  short,  you 
seem  for  upward  of  a  month  to  have  been  engaged  in  wan- 
dering to  and  fro  in  such  a  way  as  is  wholly  incompatible 
with  the  affairs  upon  which  you  say  you  were  engaged." 

"But  you  will  observe,  sir,"  Malcolm  said  quietly," that 
I  have  not  said  I  am  engaged  upon  any  affairs  whatever. 
I  am  not  come  to  England  ou  business,  but  solely  to  escape 
from  the  troubles  which  have  put  a  stop  to  my  trade  in 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  265 

the  Highlands,  and  as  for  fifteen  years  I  was  engaged  in 
journeying  backward  and  forward,  and  had  many  friends 
and  acquaintances,  I  came  down  partly,  as  I  have  said,  to 
avoid  being  mixed  up  in  the  trouble,  partly  to  call  upon 
old  acquaintances,  and  partly  to  introduce  to  them  my 
nephew,  who  is  new  to  the  work,  and  will  shortly  be  en- 
gaged in  bringing  down  cattle  here.  I  thougnt  the  present 
was  a  good  opportunity  to  show  him  all  the  roads  and 
halting-places  in  order  that  he  might  the  better  carry  out 
the  business." 

"Your  story  has  been  well  got  up,"  one  of  the  magis- 
trates said,  "though  I  doubt  whether  there  be  a  single 
word  of  truth  in  it.  However,  you  will  be  at  present 
searched,  and  detained  until  we  get  to  the  bottom  of  the 
matter.  This  is  not  a  time  when  men  can  travel  to  and 
fro  through  the  country  without  exciting  a  suspicion  that 
they  are  engaged  upon  other  than  lawful  business.  At 
present  I  tell  yon  that  in  our  eyes  your  conduct  appears  to 
be  extremely  suspicions." 

The  prisoners  were  then  taken  to  a  cell  and  searched 
with  the  utmost  rigor.  Their  clothes  were  examined  with 
scrupulous  oare,  many  of  the  seams  being  cut  open  and 
the  linings  slit,  to  see  if  any  documents  were  concealed 
there.  Their  shoes  were  also  carefully  examined ;  but  the 
mud  had  dried  over  the  opening  where  the  quill  was  con- 
cealed, and  the  otficials  failed  to  discover  it.  Even  their 
sticks  were  carefully  examined  to  see  if  they  contained  any 
hollow  place;  but  at  last,  convinced  that  had  they  been 
the  bearers  of  any  documents  these  must  have  been  discov- 
ered, the  officials  permitted  them  to  resume  their  clothes, 
and  then  paying  no  heed  to  the  angry  complaints  of  Mal- 
colm at  the  state  to  which  the  garments  had  been  reduced, 
they  left  the  prisoners  to  themselves. 

"Be  careful  what  you  say,"  Malcolm  whispered  to 
Eonald.     "  Many  of  these  places  have  cracks  or  peepholes, 


p 

g66  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

SO  that  the  prisoners  can  be  watched  and  their  conversa- 
tion overheard." 

Having  said  this  Malcolm  indulged  in  a  long  and  violent 
tirade  on  the  hardship  of  peaceful  men  being  arrested  and 
maltreated  in  this  way,  and  at  the  gross  stupidity  of  mag- 
istrates in  taking  an  honest  drover  known  to  half  the 
countryside  for  a  Jacobite  spy.  ftonald  replied  in  similar 
strains,  and  any  listeners  there  might  have  been  would 
certainly  have  gained  nothing  from  the  conversation  they 
overheard. 

"I  should  not  be  surprised,"  Malcolm  said  in  low  tones 
when  night  had  come  and  all  was  quiet,  "if  some  of  our 
friends  outside  try  to  help  us.  The  news  will  speedily 
spread  that  two  men  of  the  appearance  of  drovers  have 
been  taken  on  suspicion  of  being  emissaries  from  Scotland, 
and  it  will  cause  no  little  uneasiness  among  all  those  on 
whom  we  have  called.  They  cannot  tell  whether  any 
papers  have  been  found  upon  us,  nor  what  we  may  reveal 
to  save  ourselves,  so  they  will  have  a  strong  interest  in 
getting  us  free  if  possible." 

"If  we  do  get  free,  Malcolm,  the  sooner  we  return  to 
Scotland  the  better.  We  have  seen  almost  all  those  whom 
we  were  charged  to  call  upon,  and  we  are  certainly  in  a 
position  to  assure  the  prince  that  he  need  hope  for  no 
rising  in  his  favor  here  before  he  comes,  and  that  it  is 
very  doubtful  that  any  numbers  will  join  him  if  he 
marches  south." 

The  next  morning  they  were  removed  from  the  cell  in 
which  they  had  been  placed  to  the  city  jail,  and  on  the 
following  day  were  again  brought  before  the  magistrates. 

"You  say  that  you  have  been  calling  on  people  who 
know  you,"  one  of  the  magistrates  began;  "and  as  I  told 
you  the  other  day  we  knov/  that  you  have  been  wandering 
about  the  country  in  a  strange  way,  I  now  require  that 
you  shall  tell  us  the  names  of  all  the  persons  with  whom 
>ou  have  had  communication." 


BONNIE  PllINCE  CHARLIE.  2v,7 

The  question  was  addressed  to  Malcolm  as  the  oldest  of 
the  prisoners.  Ronald  looked  round  the  court,  which  "was 
crowded  with  people,  and  thought  that  in  several  places 
he  could  detect  an  expression  of  anxiety  rather  than 
curiosity. 

"It  will  be  a  long  story,"  Malcolm  said  in  a  drawling 
voice,  "and  I  would  not  say  for  sure  but  that  I  may  forget 
one  or  two,  seeing  that  I  have  spoken  with  so  many.  We 
came  across  the  hills,  and  the  first  person  we  spoke  to  was 
Master  Fenwick,  who  keeps  the  Collie  Dog  at  Appleswade. 
I  don't  know  whether  your  worship  knows  the  village.  I 
greeted  him  as  usual,  and  asked  him  how  the  wife  and 
children  had  been  faring  since  I  saw  him  last.  He  said 
they  were  doing  brawly,  save  that  the  eldest  boy  had 
twisted  his  ankle  sorely  among  the  fells." 

"We  don't  want  to  hear  all  this  nonsense,"  the  magis- 
trate said  angrily.  "  We  want  a  list  of  persons,  not  what 
you  said  to  them." 

"It  will  be  a  hard  task,"  Malcolm  said  simply;  "but  I 
will  do  the  best  I  can,  your  worship,  and  I  can  do  no 
more.  Let  me  think,  there  was  Joseph  liepton  and  Nat 
Somner — at  least  I  think  it  was  Nat,  but  I  won't  be  sure 
to  his  Christian  name — and  John  Dykes,  and  a  chap  they 
called  Pitman,  but  I  don't  know  his  right  name." 

"Who  were  all  these  people.^"  the  magistrate  asked. 

"Joe  Eepton,  he  is  a  wheelwright  by  trade,  and  Nat 
Somner  he  keeps  the  village  shop.  I  think  tlie  others  are 
both  laboring  men.  Anyhow  they  were  all  sitting  at  tne 
tap  of  the  Collie  Dog  when  I  went  in." 

"But  what  have  we  to  do  with  these  fellows?"  the 
magistrate  exclaimed  angrily. 

"I  don't  know  no  more  than  a  child,"  Malcolm  said; 
"but  your  worship  ordered  me  to  tell  you  just  the  names 
of  the  persons  I  met,  and  I  am  doing  so  to  the  best  of  my 
ability." 


2G8  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"Take  care,  prisoner,"  the  magistrate  said  sternly;  "yon 
are  trifling  with  the  court.  You  know  what  I  want  you 
to  tell  me.  You  have  been  to  these  villages,"  and  he  read 
out  some  fifteen  names.  "  What  did  you  go  there  for,  and 
whom  did  you  see?" 

"That  is  just  what  I  was  trying  to  tell  your  worship  in 
regular  order,  but  directly  I  begin  you  stop  me.  I  have 
been  going  through  this  district  for  fifteen  years,  and  I  am 
known  in  pretty  well  every  village  in  Cumberland,  West- 
moreland, and  Lancashire.  Having  been  away  for  three 
years,  and  my  trade  being  stopped  by  the  war,  as  your 
worship  well  knows,  I  have  been  going  round  having  a 
crack  with  the  people  I  know.  Such  as  were  butchers  I 
promised  some  fine  animals  next  time  I  came  south;  snch 
as  were  innkeepers  I  stayed  a  night  with  and  talked  of  old 
times.  If  your  worship  will  have  patience  with  me  I  can 
tell  you  all  the  names  and  what  I  said  to  each  of  them, 
and  what  they  said  to  me,  and  all  about  it." 

"I  don't  want  to  know  about  these  things.  lam  asking 
you  whether  yon  have  not  been  calling  on  some  of  the 
gentry." 

"Indeed,  now,"  Malcolm  said  with  an  air  of  astonish- 
ment, "and  this  is  the  first  time  that  I  have  heard  a  word 
about  the  gentry  since  I  came  into  the  court.  Well,  let 
me  think  now,  I  did  meet  Squire  Eingwood,  and  he  stop- 
ped his  horse  and  said  to  me:  'Is  that  you,  Malcolm  An- 
derson, you  rascal;'  and  I  said,  'It's  me,  sure  enough, 
squire;'  and  he  said,  'You  rascal,  that  last  score  of  beasts 
I  bought  of  you '  " 

"  Silence!"  shouted  the  magistrate  as  a  titter  ran  through 
the  court.  "All  this  fooling  will  do  you  no  good,  I  can 
tell  you.  We  believe  that  you  are  a  traitor  to  the  king 
and  an  emissary  of  the  Pretender.  If  you  make  a  clean 
breast  of  it,  and  tell  me  the  names  of  those  with  whom 
you  have  been  having  dealings,  there  may  be  a  hope  of 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  269 

mercy  for  you;  but  if  not,  we  shall  get  at  the  truth  other 
ways,  aud  then  your  meanness  of  condition  will  not  save 
you  from  punishment." 

"Your  worship  must  do  as  you  like,"  Malcolm  said  dog- 
gedly, "I  have  done  my  best  to  answer  your  questions, 
and  you  Jump  down  my  throat  as  soon  as  I  open  my 
mouth.  What  should  a  man  of  my  condition  have  to  do 
with  kings  or  pretenders?  They  have  ruined  my  trade 
between  them,  and  I  care  not  whether  King  George  or 
King  James  get  the  best  of  it,  so  that  they  do  but  make 
an  end  of  it  as  soon  as  possible,  and  let  me  bring  down  my 
herds  again.  There's  half  a  dozen  butchers  in  the  town 
who  know  me,  and  can  speak  for  me.  I  have  sold  thou- 
sands of  beasts  to  Master  Tredgold;  but  if  this  is  the 
treatment  an  honest  man  meets  with  I  ain't  likely  to  sell 
them  any  more,  for  as  soon  as  I  am  let  free  and  get  the 
money  the  constables  have  taken  from  me  I  am  oif  to  Glas- 
gow, and  if  I  ever  come  south  of  the  border  again,  may  I 
be  hung  and  quartered." 

Finding  that  nothing  was  to  be  made  out  of  the  prison- 
ers, the  magistrates  ordered  them  to  be  taken  back  to  jaiL 


»70 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CEAllLIE, 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   MARCH   TO    DERBY. 

Two  DAYS  days  later  when  the  jailer  brought  in  brea"!:^ 
fast  to  their  cell  he  dropped  on  the  table  by  the  side  of 
the  loaf  a  tiny  ball  of  paper,  and  then  without  a  word 
went  out  and  locked  the  door.  Malcolm  put  his  finger  to 
his  lips  as  Ronald  was  about  to  utter  an  exclamation  of  joy. 

**  One's  appetite  is  not  as  good  here  as  it  was  when  we 
were  tramping  the  hills,  Ronald;  but  one  looks  forward  to 
one's  meals;  they  form  a  break  in  the  time." 

So  saying,  he  took  up  one  of  the  lumps  of  bread  and 
began  to  eat,  securing  at  the  same  time  the  pellet  of  paper. 
"We  can't  be  too  careful,"  he  said  in  a  whisper.  "It  is 
qnite  possible  that  they  may  be  able  to  overhear  us." 

"I  don't  see  how,"  Ronald  replied  in  the  same  tone;  "I 
see  no  crauk  or  crevice  through  which  sound  could  pass." 

"You  may  not  see  one,"  Malcolm  said,  "but  it  may 
exist  for  all  that.  One  of  the  boards  of  the  ceiling  may 
be  as  thin  as  paper,  and  any  one  listening  through  could  hear 
every  word  we  say  when  we  speak  in  our  natural  voices. 
The  magistrates  evidently  believe  that  they  have  made  a 
valuable  capture,  and  would  give  anything  to  prove  that 
their  suspicions  are  correct.  Now,  I  v/ill  go  and  stand  at 
that  grated  opening  and  look  at  this  paper,  if  they  are 
Watching  us  they  will  see  nothing  then." 

The  little  piece  of  paper  when  unfolded  contained  but  a 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  271 

few  words:  "Keep  up  your  courage.     Yon  have  friends 
without  working  for  you.     Destroy  this." 

Malcolm  at  once  again  rolled  up  the  pellet,  put  it  into 
his  mouth  and  swallowed  it,  and  then  whispered  to  Eonald 
what  he  had  just  read. 

"I  thought,"  he  whispered,  "that  we  should  soon  get  a 
message  of  some  sort.  The  news  of  our  arrest  will  have 
set  the  hearts  of  a  score  of  people  quaking,  and  they  would 
do  anything  now  to  get  us  out  from  this  prison.  They 
have  already,  you  see,  succeeded  in  bribing  our  warder." 

At  his  evening  visit  the  warder  passed  into  Eonald's 
hand  a  small  parcel  and  then,  as  before,  went  out  without 
speaking. 

"I  am  confirmed  in  the  belief  that  we  can  be  overheard," 
Malcolm  s^id.  "  Had  the  man  not  been  afraid  of  listeners 
he  would  have  spoken  to  us.  Now  let  us  see  what  he  has 
brought  us  this  time." 

The  parcel  contained  a  small  file,  a  saw  made  of  watch- 
spring,  and  a  tiny  phial  of  oil. 

"So  far  so  good,"  Malcolm  said  quietly.  "Our  way 
through  these  bars  is  clear  enough  now.  But  that  is  only 
the  beginning  of  our  difficulties.  This  window  looks  into 
the  prison  yard,  and  there  is  a  drop  of  some  forty  feet  to 
begin  with.  However,  I  have  no  doubt  our  friends  will 
send  us  the  means  of  overcoming  these  difficulties  in  due 
course.  All  we  have  to  concern  ourselves  about  now  is 
the  sawing  through  of  these  bars." 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark  they  began  the  work,  relieving 
each  other  in  turns.  The  oil  prevented  much  sound  being 
made,  but  to  deaden  it  still  further  they  wrapped  a  hand- 
kerchief over  the  file.  The  bars  had  been  but  a  short 
time  iu  position  and  the  iron  was  new  and  strong.  It  was 
consequently  some  hours  before  they  completed  their 
work.  "When  they  had  done,  the  grating  was  left  in  the 
position  it  before  occupied,  the  cuts  being  concealed  from 


^73  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

any  bat  close  observaj;ion  by  kneading  np  small  pieces  of 
bread  and  pressing  them  into  them,  and  then  rubbing  the 
edges  with  iron  filings. 

"That  will  do  for  to-night,"  Malcolm  said.  "No  one  is 
likely  to  pay  us  a  visit;  but  if  they  did,  they  would  not 
notice  the  bars  unless  they  went  np  and  shook  them.  To- 
morrow morning  we  can  put  a  finishing  touch  to  the 
work." 

As  soon  as  it  was  daylight  they  were  upon  their  feet. 

"It  does  very  well  as  it  is,"  Malcolm  said,  examining 
the  grating.  "It  is  good  enough  to  pass,  and  we  need 
not  trouble  further  about  it.  Now  collect  every  grain  of 
those  iron  filings.  No,  don't  do  that  on  any  account,"  lie 
broke  in,  as  Ronald  was  preparing  to  blow  some  of  it  from 
the  lower  stonework  through  the  opening.  "Were  you  to 
do  that,  it  would  be  quite  possible  that  one  of  the  pris- 
oners walking  in  the  yard  might  sec  it,  and  would  as  likely 
as  not  report  the  circumstance  to  one  of  the  warders  in 
order  to  curry  favor  and  perliaps  obtain  a  remission  of  his 
sentence.  Scrape  it  inside  and  pour  every  atom  down  the 
crevices  in  tlie  floor.  That  done,  we  are  safe  unless  any 
one  touches  the  grating."  They  watched  their  warder 
attentively  when  he  next  came  into  the  cell,  but  this  time 
he  had  no  message  for  them.  "We  must  not  be  impa- 
tient," Malcolm  said;  "our  friends  have  a  good  many 
arrangements  to  make,  for  they  will  have  to  provide  for 
our  getting  away  when  we  are  once  out;  besides,  they  will 
probably  have  to  bribe  other  warders,  and  that  kind  of 
thing  can't  be  done  in  a  hurry." 

It  was  not  for  another  two  days  that  the  warder  made 
any  fresh  sign.  Then,  as  on  the  first  occasion,  he  placed 
a  pellet  of  paper  on  the  table  with  their  bread. 

"This  is  a  good  deal  larger  than  the  last,"  Ronald  whis- 
pered. 

It  was  not  until  some  little  time  after  they  had  finished 


BONNIE  PRINCE  OHARLIE,  273 

their  meal  that  Ronald  moved  to  the  grating  and  niirollGd 
the  little  ball  of  paper;  it  contained  only  the  words: 

"You  will  receive  a  rope  this  evening.  With  this  lower 
yourselves  from  your  windovv  into  the  courtyard.  Start 
when  you  hear  the  church-bells  strike  midnight,  cross  tho 
court  and  stand  against  the  wall  near  the  right-hand  corner 
of  the  opposite  side.  The  third  window  on  the  second 
floor  will  be  opened,  and  a  rope  lowered  to  yon.  Attach 
yourselves  to  this,  and  you  will  be  pulled  up  from  above." 

After  reading  the  note  Ronald  passed  it  on  to  Malcolm 
who,  as  before,  swallowed  it,  but  had  this  time  to  tear  it 
into  several  pieces  before  doing  so.  The  warder  was  later 
bringing  their  supper  than  usual  that  evening,  and  it  was 
dark  when  he  came  iu.  As  he  entered  the  I'oora  he  let 
the  lamp  fall  which  he  carried. 

"Confound  the  thing!"  he  said  roughly.  "Here,  take 
hold  of  this  bread,  and  let  me  feel  for  the  lamp.  I  can't 
be  bothered  with  going  down  to  get  another  light.  Yoa 
can  eat  your  supper  in  the  dark  just  as  well,  I  have  no 
doubt." 

As  he  handed  Ronald  the  bread  he  also  pushed  into  his 
hand  the  end  of  a  rope,  and  while  he  pretended  to  search 
for  the  lamp  he  turned  round  and  round  rapidly,  and  so 
unwound  the  rope,  which  was  twisted  many  times  round 
his  body.  As  soon  as  this  was  done  he  picked  up  the 
lamp,  and  with  a  rough  "Good-night,"  left  them. 

"It  is  just  as  I  suspected,"  Malcolm  said  iu  Ronald's 
ear.  "There  is  a  peep-hole  somewhere,  otherwise  there- 
could  be  no  occasion  for  him  to  have  dropped  the  lamp. 
It  is  well  that  we  have  always  been  on  our  guard." 

They  ate  their  bread  in  silence,  and  then  after  a  short 
talk  on  the  stupidity  of  the  English  in  taking  two  drovers 
for  messengers  of  Prince  Charles,  they  lay  down  on  their 
rough  pallets  to  pass  with  what  patience  they  could  the 
long  hours  before  midnight,  for  it  was  late  in  October,  and 


27i  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE, 

it  was  little  after  five  o'clock  when  the  ward«r  visited 
them.  They  felt  but  slight  anxiety  as  to  the  success  of 
the  enterprise,  for  they  had  no  doubt  that  every  detail  had 
been  carefully  arranged  by  their  friends  without,  although 
certainly  it  seemed  a  strange  method  of  escape  that  after 
lowering  themselves  from  a  third-floor  window  they  should 
afterward  be  hauled  up  into  a  second.  At  last,  after  what 
seemed  almost  an  endless  watch,  they  heard  the  church 
clocks  strike  twelve,  and  simultaneously  rose  to  their  feet. 
Not  a  word  was  spoken,  for  although  it  was  improbable  in 
the  extreme  that  any  watcher  would  be  listening  at  that 
hour  of  the  night,  it  was  well  to  take  every  precaution. 
The  grating  was  lifted  out  and  laid  down  on  one  of  the 
couches  so  that  all  noise  should  be  avoided.  The  rope 
was  then  strongly  fastened  to  the  stump  of  one  of  the  iron 
bars. 

"Now,  Malcolm,  I  will  give  you  a  leg  np;  I  am  younger 
and  more  active  than  you  are,  so  you  had  better  go  first." 

Without  debating  the  question,  Malcolm  put  his  foot  on 
Eonald's  hand,  and  in  a  moment  was  seated  in  the  opening 
of  the  window.  Grasping  the  rope  he  let  himself  quietly 
out,  and  lowered  himself  to  the  ground,  reaching  it  so 
noiselessly  that  Eonald,  who  was  listening,  did  not  hear  a 
sound.  After  waiting  a  minute,  however,  he  sprang  np 
on  to  the  sill,  and  feeling  that  the  rope  was  slack,  was 
soon  by  Malcolm's  side  below.  Then  both  removed  their 
shoes  and  hung  them  round  their  necks,  and  walking 
noiselessly  across  the  court  they  took  np  their  post  under 
the  window  indicated  in  the  note.  In  less  than  a  minute 
the  end  of  a  rope  was  dropped  upon  their  heads. 

"You  go  first  this  time,  Eonald,"  Malcolm  said,  and 
fastened  it  beneath  Eonald's  arms.  Then  he  gave  a  pnll 
at  the  rope  to  show  that  they  were  ready.  The  rope  tight- 
ened, and  Eonald  found  himself  swinging  in  the  air.  He 
kept  himself  from  scraping  against  the  walls  by  his  hands 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  275 

and  feet,  and  was  especially  careful  as  he  passed  the  win- 
dow on  the  first  floor.  In  a  minute  he  was  pnlled  into 
the  room  on  the  second  floor  by  the  men  who  had  hoisted 
him  np.  A  low  "Hush!"  warned  him  that  there  was  still 
a  necessity  for  silence.  The  rope  was  lowered  again,  and 
Eonald  lent  his  aid  to  hoist  Malcolm  np  to  the  window. 
As  soon  as  he  was  in,  it  was  as  slowly  and  carefully  closed. 

"You  are  mighty  heavy,  both  of  you,"  a  voice  whispered. 
"I  should  not  have  thought  it  would  have  been  such  hard 
work  to  lift  a  man  up  this  height.  Now,  follow  us,  and 
be  sure  you  make  no  noise." 

Two  flights  of  stairs  were  descended,  and  then  they 
stood  before  a  small  but  heavy  door;  some  bolts  were 
drawn  and  a  key  turned  in  the  lock,  this  being  done  so 
noiselessly  that  Konald  was  sure  they  must  have  been  care- 
fully oiled.  The  two  men  passed  through  with  them, 
locking  the  door  behind  them. 

"Thank  God  we  are  out!"  Malcolm  said  fervently.  "I 
have  been  in  a  watch-house  more  than  once  in  my  young 
days,  but  I  can't  say  I  like  it  better  as  I  grow  older." 
They  walked  for  some  minutes,  and  then  their  guides 
opened  a  door  and  they  entered  a  small  house. 

"Stir  up  those  peats,  Jack,"  one  of  the  men  said,  "and 
blow  them  a  bit,  while  I  feel  for  a  candle." 

In  a  minute  or  two  a  light  was  obtained. 

"That's  very  neatly  done,  I  think,  gentlemen,"  laughed 
the  man  addressed  as  Jack,  and  who  they  now  saw  was  the 
warder  who  had  attended  upon  them.  "  We  had  rare 
trouble  in  hitting  upon  that  plan.  The  cell  you  were  in 
opened  upon  a  corridor,  the  doors  to  which  are  always 
locked  by  the  chief -constable  himself;  and  even  if  we 
could  have  got  at  his  key,  and  opened  one  of  them,  we 
should  have  been  no  nearer  escape,  for  two  of  the  warders 
sleep  in  the  lodge,  and  there  would  be  no  getting  out  with- 
out waking  them,  and  they  could  not  be  got  at.     They 


276  BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE. 

are  both  of  them  married  men,  with  families,  and  that 
sort  of  man  does  not  care  about  running  risks,  unless  he 
happens  to  be  tired  of  his  wife  and  wanting  a  change. 
Nat  here  and  I  have  no  incumbrances,  and  weren't  sorry 
of  a  chance  to  shift.  Anjhovy,  there  was  no  way,  as  far  as 
we  could  see,  of  passing  you  out  through  that  part  of  the 
prison,  and  at  last  the  idea  struck  us  of  getting  yon  out 
the  way  we  did.  That  wing  of  the  jail  is  only  used  for 
debtors,  and  they  are  nothing  like  so  strict  on  that  side  as 
they  are  on  the  other.  Some  of  the  warders  sleep  there, 
so  there  was  no  difficulty  in  getting  hold  of  the  key  for  an 
hour  and  having  a  duplicate  made.  Till  yesterday  all  the 
cells  were  full,  and  we  had  to  wait  till  a  man,  whose  time 
was  just  up,  moved  out.     After  that  it  was  clear  sailing." 

"Well,  we  are  immensely  obliged  to  you,"  Eonald  said. 

"Oh,  you  needn't  be  obliged  to  us,"  the  warder  replied; 
"we  are  well  paid  for  the  job,  and  have  a  promise  of  good 
"berths  if  Prince  Charles  gets  the  best  of  it.  Anyhow,  we 
shall  both  make  for  London,  where  we  have  acquaintances. 
Now  we  are  going  to  dress  up;  there's  no  time  to  be  lost 
talking.  There  is  a  light  cart  waiting  for  us  and  horses 
for  you  half  a  mile  outside  the  town." 

He  opened  a  cupboard  and  took  out  two  long  smock- 
frocks,  which  he  and  his  companion  put  on. 

"Now,  gentlemen,  will  you  put  on  these  two  suits  of 
soldiers'  clothes.     I  think  they  will  about  fit  you." 

Eonald  and  Malcolm  were  soon  attired  as  dragoons. 

"There's  a  regiment  of  them  here,"  the  man  said,  "so 
there  was  no  difficulty  in  buying  a  cast-off'  suit  and  getting 
these  made  from  it.  As  to  the  helmets,  I  guess  there  will 
be  a  stir  about  them  in  the  morning.  We  got  hold  of  a 
soldier  to-day  and  told  him  we  wanted  a  couple  of  helmets 
for  a  lark,  and  he  said,  for  a  bottle  of  brandy  he  would 
drop  them  out  of  a  barrack  window  at  ten  o'clock  to-night; 
and  he  kept  his  word.     Two  of  them  will  bo  surprised  in 


BONNIE  PRINOE  CHARLIE.  277 

the  morning  when  they  find  that  their  helmets  have  disap- 
peared; as  to  the  swords  and  belts,  I  don't  know  that  they 
are  quite  right;  they  were  bought  at  an  old  shop,  and  I 
believe  they  are  yeomanry  swords,  but  I  expect  they  are 
near  enough.  I  was  to  give  you  this  letter  to  take  with 
yon;  it  is,  as  you  see,  directed  to  General  Wade  at  New- 
castle, and  purports  to  come  from  the  colonel  of  your  regi- 
ment here,  so  that  if  by  any  chance  you  are  questioned  on 
the  way,  that  will  serve  as  a  reason  for  your  journeying 
north.  Here  is  a  purse  of  twenty  guineas;  I  think  that's 
about  all." 

"But  are  we  not  to  see  those  who  have  done  us  such 
service,"  Eonald  asked,  "in  order  that  we  may  thank  them 
in  person?" 

''I  don't  know  who  it  is  any  more  than  the  man  in  the 
moon,"  the  warder  replied.  "It  was  a  woman  dressed  as 
a  serving  wench,  though  I  doubt  it  was  only  a  disguise, 
who  came  to  me.  She  met  me  in  the  street  and  asked  me 
if  I  should  like  to  earn  fifty  pounds.  I  said  I  had  no 
objection,  and  then  after  a  good  deal  of  beating  about  tho 
bush  it  came  out  that  what  was  wanted  was  that  I  should 
aid  in  your  escape.  I  didn't  see  my  way  to  working  it 
alone,  and  told  her  so.  She  said  she  was  authorized  to 
offer  the  same  sum  to  another,  so  I  said  I  would  talk  it 
over  with  Nat.  He  agreed  to  stand  in,  and  between  us 
we  thought  the  matter  out.  I  have  seen  her  several  times 
about  the  arrangements;  but  I  never  got  to  know  any 
more  about  her.  It  was  nothing  to  me  whom  the  money 
came  from,  as  long  as  it  was  all  right.  We  have  had  half 
down,  and  are  to  have  the  other  half  when  we  get  to  the 
cart  with  you.  And  now  if  you  are  ready  we  will  be  start- 
ing. The  further  we  get  away  from  here  before  morning 
the  better." 

They  made  their  way  quietly  along  the  streets.     The 
town  was  in  total  darkness,  and  they  did  not  meet  a  single 


278  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

person  abroad,  aud  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  were  in 
the  open  country.  Another  ten  miuutes  aud  they  came 
upon  the  cart  and  horses.  Three  men  were  standing  be- 
side them,  and  the  impatient  stamp  of  a  horse's  hoof 
showed  that  the  horses  were  tied  up  closely.  A  lantern 
was  held  up  as  the  party  came  up. 

"AH  safe?" 

"All  safe,"  Ronald  replied.  "Thanks,  many  thanks  to 
you  for  our  freedom." 

The  man  holding  the  lantern  was  masked,  so  they  could 
not  see  his  face.  He  first  turned  to  the  two  warders,  and 
placed  a  bag  of  money  in  their  hands. 

"You  have  done  your  work  well,"  he  said;  "the  cart 
will  take  you  thirty  miles  on  your  road,  and  then  drop 
you.  I  wish  you  a  safe  journey.  You  had  best  hide  yopr 
money  in  your  boots,  unless  you  wish  it  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  highwaymen.  The  London  road  is  infested  with 
them." 

With  a  word  of  farewell  to  Ronald  and  Malcolm  the  two 
warders  climbed  int(  the  cart,  one  of  the  men  mounted 
beside  them  and  took  the  reins,  aud  in  another  minute  the 
cart  drove  away  in  the  darkness.  As  soon  as  it  had  started 
the  man  with  the  lantern  removed  his  mask. 

"Mr.  Ratcliff!"  Ronald  exclaimed  in  surprise. 

"  Yes,  it  is  myself.  There  are  half  a  dozen  of  us  engaged 
in  the  matter.  As  soon  as  we  heard  of  your  arrest  wo 
determined  to  get  you  out..  I  was  only  afraid  you  would 
have  been  taken  up  to  London  before  we  could  get  all  our 
plans  arranged,  for  I  knew  they  had  sent  up  for  instruc- 
tions. It  was  well  that  we  were  ready  to  act  to-night,  for 
orders  were  received  this  afternoon  that  you  should  be  sent 
up  under  an  escort  to-morrow.  You  puzzled  them  rarely 
at  your  examination,  and  they  could  make  nothing  of  you. 
Our  greatest  fear  was  that  yon  might  betray  yourselves  in 
the  prison  when  you  fancied  you  were  alone,  for  we  learned 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  379 

from  the  men  who  have  jnst  left  us  that  yon  were  placed 
in  a  special  cell  where  all  that  you  said  could  be  overheard, 
and  your  movements  to  some  extent  watched  through  a 
tiny  hole  in  the  wall  communicating  with  the  cell  next  to 
it.  It  widens  out  on  that  side  so  that  a  man  can  get  his 
ear  or  his  eye  to  the  hole,  which  is  high  up  upon  the  wall, 
and  but  a  quarter  of  an  inch  across,  so  that  it  could  scarcely 
be  observed  unless  by  one  who  knew  of  its  existence.  The 
warder  said  that  they  could  hear  plainly  enough  through 
this  hole,  but  could  see  very  little.  However,  they  do  not 
seem  to  have  gathered  much  that  way." 

"  We  were  on  our  guard,  sir;  my  friend  Malcolm  thought 
it  possible  that  there  might  be  some  such  contrivance." 

"And  now,  my  young  friend,"  Mr.  Ratcliff  said,  "yon 
had  best  mount  at  once;  follow  this  road  for  half  a  mile, 
and  then  take  the  broad  road  to  the  left;  you  cannot  mis- 
take it.  It  goes  straight  to  Penrith.  You  have  got  the 
letter  to  General  Wade?" 

"Yes,  sir,  and  the  money;  we  are  indeed  in  every  way 
greatly  indebted  to  you." 

"Say  nothing  about  it,"  Mr.  EatclifE  said.  "I  am  risk- 
ing my  life  as  well  as  my  fortune  in  the  cause  of  Prince 
Charles,  and  this  money  is  on  his  service.  I  hear  he  is 
already  on  the  march  south.  Repeat  to  him  when  yon 
join  him  what  I  have  already  told  you,  namely,  that  I  and 
other  gentlemen  will  assuredly  join  him;  but  that  I  am 
convinced  there  will  be  no  general  rising  in  his  favor  unless 
a  French  army  arrive  to  his  assistance.  The  delay  which 
has  taken  place  has,  in  my  opinion,  entirely  destroyed  his 
chances,  unless  he  receives  foreign  assistance.  Wade  has 
ten  thousand  men  at  Newcastle,  the  Duke  of  Cumberland 
has  gathered  eight  thousand  in  the  Midlands,  and  there  is 
a  third  army  forming  to  cover  London.  Already  many  of 
the  best  regiments  have  returned  from  Holland,  and  each 
day  adds  to  their  number.     Do  all  you  can  to  dissuade 


280  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

him  from  advancing  until  French  aid  arrives;  bnt  tell  him 
also  that  if  he  comes  with  but  half  a  dozen  followers, 
Charles  Katcliff  will  join  him  and  share  his  fate  whatever 
it  be." 

With  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand  he  leaped  on  his  horse, 
and,  followed  by  his  servant,  galloped  off  in  one  direction, 
while  Ronald  and  Malcolm  set  out  in  the  other. 

"This  is  a  grand  disguise,"  Eonald  said.  "We  might 
ride  straight  into  Wade's  camp  at  Newcastle  without  being 
suspected." 

"I  have  no  doubt  we  could,"  Malcolm  agreed.  "Still, 
it  will  be  wiser  to  keep  away  from  the  neighborhood  of 
any  English  troops.  Awkward  questions  m.ight  be  asked, 
and  although  the  letter  you  have  for  the  general  may  do 
very  well  to  impress  any  officers  of  militia  or  newly-raised 
troops  we  may  meet  on  the  road,  and  would  certainly  pass 
us  as  two  orderlies  conveying  dispatches,  it  would  be  just 
as  well  not  to  have  to  appear  before  the  general  himself. 
Our  swords  and  belts  would  probably  be  noticed  at  once 
by  any  cavalry  officers.  I  know  nothing  about  the  Eng- 
lish army,  and  do  not  know  how  much  the  yeomanry 
swords  and  belts  may  diifer  from  those  of  the  line.  How- 
ever, it  is  certain  the  less  observation  we  attract  from  sol- 
diers the  better;  but  as  to  civilians  we  can  ride  straight  on 
through  towns  and  villages  with  light  hearts." 

"We  may  as  well  breathe  our  horses  a  bit,  Malcolm, 
now  there  is  no  occasion  for  haste,  and  we  can  jog  along 
at  our  own  pace.  There  is  no  probability  of  pursuit,  for 
when  they  find  that  we  and  the  warders  are  missing  and 
see  the  rope  from  our  window  they  will  be  sure  that  we 
shall  have  started  early  and  are  far  away  by  the  time  they 
find  out  we  are  gone." 

Accordingly  they  traveled  quietly  north,  boldly  riding 
through  small  towns  and  villages,  putting  up  at  little  inns, 
and  chatting  freely  with  the  villagers  who  came  in  to  talk 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  281 

over  the  news,  for  the  north  was  all  excitement.  Orders 
had  been  issued  for  all  the  militia  to  turn  out,  but  there 
was  little  response,  for  although  few  had  any  desire  to  risk 
their  lives  in  the  cause  of  the  Stuarts,  fewer  still  had  any 
intention  of  fighting  for  the  Hanoverians. 

When  they  arrived  within  a  few  miles  of  Newcastle  they 
left  the  main  road  and  struck  across  country,  their  object 
being  to  come  down  upon  the  road  running  north  from 
Carlisle,  for  they  thought  it  likely  that  parties  of  General 
Wade's  troops  would  be  scattered  far  over  the  country 
north  of  Newcastle.  At  a  farmhouse  they  succeeded  in 
buying  some  civilian  clothes,  giving  out  that  they  were 
deserters,  and  as  they  were  willing  to  pay  well,  the  farmer, 
who  had  no  good-will  toward  the  Hanoverians,  had  no 
difficulty  in  parting  with  two  of  his  best  suits. 

They  were  now  in  a  country  perfectly  well  known  to 
Malcolm,  and  traveling  by  by-ways  across  the  hills  they 
crossed  the  Cheviots  a  few  miles  south  of  Carter  Fell,  and 
then  rode  down  the  wild  valleys  to  Castletown  and  thence 
to  Canobie  on  the  Esk.  As  they  entered  the  little  town 
they  found  the  wildest  excitement  prevailing.  An  officer 
•with  two  orderlies  had  just  ridden  in  to  say  that  quarters 
were  to  be  prepared  for  Prince  Charles,  and  a  quantity  of 
bullocks  and  meal  got  in  readiness  for  the  use  of  the 
army,  which  would  arrive  late  that  evening.  Ronald  soon 
found  the  officer  who  had  brought  the  order  and  recog- 
nized him  as  one  of  Lord  Perth's  aides-de-camp.  He  did 
not  know  Ronald  in  his  present  dress,  but  greeted  him 
heartily  as  soon  as  he  discovered  who  he  was. 

"How  is  it  the  troops  are  coming  this  way?"  Ronald 
asked. 

"They  are  marching  through  Liddesdale  from  Kelso. 
We  halted  there  for  two  days,  and  orders  were  sent  for- 
ward to  Wooler  to  prepare  quarters.  This  was  to  throv7 
Wade  off  the  scent  and  induce  him  to  march  north  from 


283  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

Newcastle  to  oppose  us  on  thai;  road,  while,  as  you  see,  we 
have  turned  west  and  shall  cross  into  Cumberland  and 
make  a  dash  at  Carlisle." 

A  few  hours  later  the  prince  arrived  with  his  army,  and 
as  soon  as  he  entered  the  quarters  prepared  for  him  Eonald 
proceeded  there  and  made  his  report. 

"  I  could  wish  it  had  been  better,  Captain  Leslie,"  the 
prince  said;  "but  the  die  is  cast  now,  aud  I  cannot  think 
that  our  friends  in  the  north,  who  proved  so  loyal  to  our 
cause  in  '15,  will  hang  back  when  we  are  among  them. 
When  they  see  that  Charles  Eatcliff  and  other  gentlemen 
whom  you  have  visited  range  themselves  under  our  banner 
I  believe  the  common  people  will  join  us  also.  Now  give 
me  a  full  account  of  your  mission." 

Eouald  gave  the  list  of  the  gentry  he  had  visited,  and 
described  his  arrest  and  imprisonment  in  Manchester  and 
the  manner  in  which  Mr.  Ratcliif  had  contrived  his  escape. 

"  You  have  done  all  that  is  possible,  sir,"  the  prince 
said,  "and  at  an  early  opportunity  I  will  show  you  I 
appreciate  your  services." 

On  the  next  day,  the  8th  of  November,  the  corps  crossed 
the  border;  on  the  9th  they  were  joined  by  another  col- 
umn, which  had  marched  from  Edinburgh  by  the  western 
road,  and  the  united  force  marched  to  Carlisle  and  sat 
down  before  it.  The  walls  of  the  city  were  old  and  in  bad 
condition,  the  garrison  was  ill  prepared  for  a  siege.  It 
consisted  of  a  company  of  invalids  in  the  castle,  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Durand,  and  a  considerable  body  of 
Cumberland  militia.  The  walls,  however,  old  as  they 
were,  could  for  some  time  have  resisted  the  battery  of 
four-pounder  guns  v;hich  formed  the  prince's  sole  artillery. 

The  mayor  returned  no  answer  to  the  prince's  summons 
and  orders  were  issued  to  begin  to  throw  up  trench-works, 
but  scarcely  had  the  operations  begun  when  news  arrived 
that  Marshal  Wade  was  marching  from  Newcastle  to  re- 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  283 

lieve  the  city.  The  siege  was  at  once  abandoned,  and  the 
prince  marched  out  with  the  army  to  Brampton  and  took 
up  a  favorable  position  there  to  give  battle.  The  news 
proved  incorrect,  and  the  Duke  of  Perth  with  several  reg- 
iments were  sent  back  to  resume  the  siege. 

On  the  13th  the  duke  began  to  raise  a  battery  on  the 
east  side  of  the  town,  but  after  a  few  shots  had  been  fired 
from  the  walls  the  courage  of  the  besieged  failed  them. 
The  white  flag  was  hung  out,  and  the  town  and  castle 
surrendered  on  the  condition  that  the  soldiers  and  militia 
might  march  away,  leaving  their  arms  and  horses  behind 
and  engaging  not  to  serve  again  for  a  year.  On  the  l?th 
the  prince  made  a  triumphal  entry  into  the  place,  but  was 
received  with  but  little  show  of  warmth  on  the  part  of  the 
inhabitants. 

A  halt  was  made  at  Carlisle  and  a  council  was  lield  to 
determine  upon  the  next  step  to  be  taken.  The  news 
which  had  been  received  from  Scotland  was  very  unfavora- 
hle.  Lord  Strathallan,  who  had  been  appointed  by  the 
prince  as  commander-in-chief,  and  directed  to  raise  as 
many  troops  as  possible,  had  collected  between  two  and 
three  thousand  men  at  Perth,  and  Lord  Lewis  Gordon 
had  raised  three  battalions  in  Aberdeenshire;  but  on  the 
other  hand  a  considerable  force  had  been  collected  at  In- 
verness for  King  George.  The  towns  of  Glasgow,  Paisley, 
and  Dumfries  had  turned  out  their  militia  for  the  house 
of  Hanover.  The  officers  of  the  crown  had  re-entered 
Edinburgh  and  two  regiments  of  cavalry  had  been  sent 
forward  by  Marshal  Wade  to  their  support. 

While  even  Scotland  was  thus  wavering  it  seemed  alraosj 
madness  for  the  little  army  to  advance  into  England, 
The  greater  portion  of  the  Highlanders  had  from  the  first 
objected  strongly  to  leave  their  country,  and  upward  of  a 
thousand  had  deserted  and  gone  home  on  the  march  down 
from  Edinburgh.     They  bad  started  less  than  six  thousand 


284  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

strong,  and  after  leaving  a  garrison  of  two  hundred  men 
in  Carlisle,  but  fonr  thousand  five  hundred  were  available 
for  the  advance  south,  while  Wade,  with  his  ten  thousand 
men,  would  be  in  their  rear  and  two  English  armies  of 
nearly  equal  strength  be  waiting  to  receive  them.  At  the 
council  the  opinions  of  the  leaders  were  almost  unanimous 
against  an  advance,  but  upon  Lord  George  Murray  saying 
that  if  Prince  Charles  decided  upon  advancing  the  army 
would  follow  him,  he  determined  upon  pressing  forward. 

The  army  began  its  advance  on  the  20th  of  November, 
and  halted  a  day  at  Penrith  upon  the  news  that  Marshal 
Wade  was  moving  to  attack  them  ;  but  the  English  general 
had  not  made  any  move,  and  the  Scotch  again  pushed  on 
through  Shap,  Kendal,  and  Lancaster,  to  Preston.  Dur- 
ing the  march  Prince  Charles  marched  with  his  troops, 
clad  in  Highland  garb,  and  with  his  target  thrown  across 
Ills  shoulder.  He  seldom  stopped  for  dinner,  but  ate  his 
food  as  he  walked,  chatting  gayly  with  the  Highlanders, 
and  by  his  cheerfulness  and  example  kept  up  their  spirits. 
The  strictest  discipline  was  enforced,  and  everything  re- 
quired by  the  troops  was  paid  for.  At  Preston  the  prince 
on  his  entry  was  cheered  by  the  mob,  and  a  few  men 
enlisted. 

From  Preston  the  army  marched  to  Wigan,  and  thence 
to  Manchester.  The  road  was  thronged  with  people,  who 
expressed  the  warmest  wishes  for  the  prince's  success;  but 
when  asked  to  enlist,  they  all  hung  back,  saying  they 
knew  nothing  about  fighting.  Still  the  feeling  in  favor  of 
the  prince's  cause  became  stronger  as  he  advanced  south, 
and  at  Manchester  he  was  received  with  the  acclamations 
of  the  inhabitants,  the  ringing  of  the  bells,  and  an  illumi- 
nation  of  tlie  city  in  the  evening.  The  people  mounted 
white  cockades,  and  the  next  day  about  two  hundred  men 
enlisted  and  were  enrolled  under  the  name  of  the  Man- 
chester Eegiment,  the  command  of  which  was  given  io 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  385 

Mr.  Francis  Townley,  a  Roman  Catholic  belonging  to  an 
old  Lancashire  family,  who,  with  Mr.  Ratclili  and  a  few 
other  gentlemen,  had  joined  the  army  on  the  advance. 

The  leaders,  however,  of  the  prince's  army  were  bitterly 
disappointed  at  the  general  apathy  of  the  people.  Lan- 
cashire had  in  '15  been  the  stronghold  of  the  Jacobites, 
and  the  mere  accession  of  two  or  three  hundred  men  was 
a  small  addition  indeed  to  their  force.  It  was  evident  that 
nothing  like  a  popular  rising  was  to  be  looked  for,  and 
they  had  but  themselves  to  rely  upon  in  the  struggle 
against  the  whole  strength  of  England.  Marshal  Wade 
was  in  full  marcii  behind  them.  The  Duke  of  Cumber- 
land lay  at  Lichfield  in  their  frout  with  a  force  of  eight 
thousand  veteran  troops;  while  a  third  army,  of  which 
the  Eoyal  Guards  were  the  nucleus,  was  being  formed  at 
Fiuchley.  Large  bodies  of  militia  had  been  raised  in  sev- 
eral districts.  Liverpool  had  declared  against  them ; 
Chester  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Earl  of  Cholniondeley; 
the  bridges  of  the  Mersey  had  been  broken  down;  difficul- 
ties and  dangers  multiplied  on  all  sides. 

Prince  Charles,  ever  sanguine,  was  confident  that  he 
should  be  joined  by  large  numbers  as  he  advanced  south; 
but  his  officers  were  now  thoroughly  alarmed,  and  the 
leaders  in  a  body  remonstrated  with  Lord  George  Murray 
against  any  further  advance.  He  sid vised  them,  however, 
to  oiler  no  further  opposition  to  the  prince's  wishes  until 
they  came  to  Derby,  promising  that,  unless  by  that  time 
they  were  joined  by  the  Jacobites  in  considerable  numbers, 
he  would  himself,  as  general,  propose  and  insist  upon  a 
retreat.  Ronald  utilized  the  short  halt  at  Manchester  to 
obtain  new  uniforms  for  himself  and  Malcolm,  which  he 
was  glad  to  exchange  for  the  farmer's  garb,  which  had 
been  the  occasion  of  a  good  deal  of  joking  and  mirth 
among  his  fellow-officers  on  the  downward  march. 

On  the  first  of  December,  Prince  Charles,  at  the  head 


286  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

of  one  division,  forded  the  Mersey  near  Stoctport,  where 
the  '^ater  was  waist-deep.  The  other  division,  with  the 
baggage  and  artillery,  crossed  lower  down,  at  Cheadle,  on 
a  hastily-constructed  bridge,  and  the  two  columns  joined 
that  evening  at  Macclesfield.  Here  Lord  George  Murray 
succeeded  in  misleading  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  as  to  hia 
intentions  by  a  dexterous  maneuver.  Advancing  with  a 
portion  of  his  force  he  dislodged  and  drove  before  him  the 
Duke  of  Kingston  and  a  small  party  of  English  horse  posted 
at  Congleton,  and  pursued  them  some  distance  along  the 
road  toward  Newcastle-under-Lyne. 

The  Duke  of  Cumberland,  supposing  that  the  prince's 
army  were  on  their  march  either  to  give  him  battle  or  to 
make  their  way  into  Wales,  where  the  Jacobite  party  were 
extremely  strong,  pushed  forward  with  his  main  body  to 
Stone.  Lord  George  Murray,  however,  having  gained  his 
object,  turned  sharp  off  to  the  left,  and  after  a  long  march 
arrived  at  Ashbourne,  where  the  prince,  with  the  other 
division  of  the  army,  had  marched  direct.  The  next 
afternoon  they  arrived  at  Derby,  having  thus  altogether 
evaded  the  Duke  of  Cumberland,  and  being  nearly  three 
days'  march  nearer  London  than  was  his  army. 

The  prince  that  night  was  in  high  spirits  at  the  fact 
that  he  was  now  within  a  hundred  and  thirty  miles  of 
London,  and  that  neither  Wade's  nor  Cumberland's  forces 
interposed  between  him  and  the  capital.  But  his  delight 
was  by  no  means  shared  by  his  followers,  and  early  next 
morning  he  was  waited  upon  by  Lord  George  Murray  and 
all  the  commanders  of  battalions  and  squadrons,  and  a 
council  being  held,  they  laid  before  the  prince  their  earn- 
est and  unanimous  opinion  that  an  immediate  retreat  to 
Scotland  was  necessarv. 

They  had  marched,  they  said,  so  far  on  the  promise 
either  of  an  English  rising  or  a  French  descent  upon  Eng- 
land.    Neither  had  yet  occurred.      Their  five  thousand 


BONNIE  PRINOE  CHARLIE,  287 

fighting  men  were  insufficient  to  give  battle  to  even  one  of 
the  three  armies  that  surrounded  them — scarcely  adequate, 
indeed,  to  take  possession  of  Loudon,  were  there  no  army 
at  Finchley  to  protect  it.  Even  did  they  gaiu  London, 
how  could  they  hold  it  against  the  united  armies  of  Wade 
and  Cumberland?  Defeat  so  far  from  home  would  mean 
destruction,  and  not  a  man  would  ever  regain  Scotland. 

In  vain  the  prince  replied  to  their  arguments,  in  vain 
expostulated,  and  even  implored  them  to  yield  to  his 
■wishes.  After  several  hours  of  stormy  debate  the  council 
broke  up  without  having  arrived  at  any  decision.  The 
prince  at  one  time  thought  of  calling  upon  the  soldiers  to 
follow  him  without  regard  to  their  officers;  for  the  High- 
landers, reluctant  as  they  had  been  to  march  into  England, 
were  now  burning  for  a  fight,  and  were  longing  for  noth- 
ing so  much  as  to  meet  one  or  other  of  the  hostile  armies 
opposed  to  them.  The  prince's  private  advisers,  however, 
Sheridan  and  Secretary  Murray,  urged  him  to  yield  to  the 
opinion  of  his  officers,  since  they  were  sure  that  the  clans- 
men would  never  fight  well  if  they  knew  that  their  chiefs 
were  unanimously  opposed  to  their  giving  battle.  Accord- 
ingly the  prince,  heart-broken  at  the  destruction  of  his 
hopes,  agreed  to  yield  to  the  wishes  of  his  officers,  and  at 
a  council  in  the  evening  gave  his  formal  consent  to  a 
retreat. 


288  BONNIE  FRINGE  CHAJULiM, 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

A  BAFFLED   PLOT. 

Uttekly  dishearteued  and  dispirited  the  army  com- 
menced its  march  north.  The  prince  himself  was  even 
more  disappointed  than  his  soldiers,  and  showed  by  his 
manner  how  bitterly  he  resented  the  decision  at  which  his 
officers  had  arrived.  It  had  seemed  to  him  that  success 
was  within  his  grasp,  and  that  he  had  but  to  march  to 
London  to  overthrow  the  Hanoverian  dynasty.  And  it  is 
by  no  means  improbable  that  his  instincts  were  more  cor- 
rect than  the  calculations  of  his  advisers.  The  ncAvs  of 
his  rapid  march  south  had  sent  a  thrill  through  the  coun- 
try; and  although  so  far  the  number  of  those  who  -had 
joined  him  was  exceedingly  small,  at  that  moment  num- 
bers of  gentlemen  in  Wales  and  other  parts  of  the  country 
were  arming  their  tenants  and  preparing  to  take  the  field. 

There  was  no  hostile  force  between  himself  and  London, 
for  the  force  at  Finchley  was  not  yet  organized,  and  could 
have  offered  no  effectual  opposition.  A  panic  reigned  in 
the  metropolis,  and  the  king  was  preparing  to  take  ship 
and  leave  the  country.  Had  the  little  army  marched  for- 
ward there  is  small  doubt  that  James  would  have  been 
proclaimed  king  in  London.  But  it  may  be  doubted 
whether  Prince  Charles  could  have  maintained  the  advan- 
tage he  had  gained.  Two  armies,  both  superior  to  his 
own,  were  pressing  on  his  rear,  and  would  have  arrived  in 
London  but  a  few  days  after  himself;  and  although  the 
Londoners  might  have  accepted  him,  they  would  hardly 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE,  289 

have  risen  in  arms  to  aid  him  against  Cumberland's  army. 
Had  this  halted  at  a  distance,  the  reinforcements  which 
might  have  joined  the  prince  would  have  been  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  the  regiments  of  English  and  Hano- 
verian troops  which  the  king  could  have  sent  over,  and 
although  the  strife  might  have  been  lengthened  the  result 
would  in  all  probability  have  been  the  same. 

Prince  Cliarles  had  no  ability  in  governing.  His  notions 
of  the  absolute  power  of  kings  were  as  strong  as  those  of 
his  ancestors,  and,  surrounded  as  he  was  by  hot-headed 
Highlanders,  he  would  speedily  have  caused  discontent 
and  disgust  even  among  those  most  favorably  inclined  by 
hereditary  tradition  to  the  cause  of  the  Stuarts.  But  of 
all  this  he  was  ignorant,  and  in  the  retreat  from  Derby  he 
saw  the  destruction  of  his  hopes. 

Hitherto  he  had  marched  on  foot  with  the  Highlanders, 
chatting  gayly  as  he  went.  ]^ow  he  rode  in  rear  of  the 
column,  and  scarce  exchanged  a  word  with  even  his  most 
intimate  advisers.  The  Highlanders  no  longer  preserved 
the  discipline  which  had  characterized  their  southward 
march.  Villages  were  plundered  and  in  some  cases  burned, 
and  in  retaliation  the  peasantry  killed  or  took  prisoners 
stragglers  and  those  left  behind.  Even  at  Manchester, 
where  the  reception  of  the  army  had  been  so  warm  a  few 
days  before,  its  passage  was  opposed  by  a  violent  mob,  and 
the  prince  was  so  offended  at  the  conduct  of  the  towns- 
people that  he  imposed  a  fine  of  five  thousand  pounds 
upon  the  city. 

The  next  morning  the  march  was  continued.  The 
Highlanders  laid  hands  on  every  horse  they  could  find, 
and  so  all  pressed  on  at  the  top  of  tlieir  speed  for  the 
border.  The  Duke  of  Cumberland,  who  had  fallen  back 
in  all  haste  for  the  protection  of  London,  was  close  to 
Coventry  when  he  heard  that  the  Scotch  had  retreated 
Borthward.     With  all  his  cavalry,  and  a  thousand  foot 


g9G  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

Tvhom  he  mounted  on  horses  supplied  by  the  neighboring 
gentry,  he  set  out  in  pursuit.  At  Preston  he  was  joined 
by  another  body  of  horse  sent  across  the  country  from  the 
army  of  Marshal  Wade;  but  it  was  not  until  he  entered 
Westmoreland  that  he  came  up  with  the  rear  guard  of  the 
insurgents,  which  was  commanded  by  Lord  George  Murray. 

Defeating  some  local  volunteers  who  molested  hira,  Lord 
George  learned  from  the  prisoners  that  the  duke  with  four 
thousand  men  was  close  at  hand,  and  he  sent  on  the  news 
to  the  prince,  who  dispatched  two  regiments,  the  Stuarts 
of  Appin  and  the  Macphersous  of  Cluny,  to  reinforce  him. 
It  was  nearly  dark  when  by  the  light  of  the  moon  Lord 
George  saw  the  English  infantry,  who  had  now  dismounted, 
advancing.  He  at  once  charged  them  at  the  head  of  the 
Macphersons  and  Stuarts,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  Eng- 
lish were  completely  defeated,  their  commander.  Colonel 
Honeywood,  being  left  severely  wounded  on  the  field,  with 
a  hundred  killed  or  disabled  men,  while  the  loss  of  the 
Scotch  was  but  twelve. 

It  was  with  great  diflBculty  that  the  Highlanders  could 
be  recalled  from  the  pursuit,  and  Lord  George  himself 
sent  an  urgent  message  to  the  prince  begging  for  a  further 
reinforcement,  in  order  that  he  might  maintain  his  ground 
and  defeat  the  whole  force  of  the  duke.  As  usual  his 
wishes  were  disregarded,  and  he  was  ordered  to  fall  back 
and  join  the  main  body  at  Penrith.  The  check,  however, 
"was  so  effective  that  the  duke  made  no  further  attempt  to 
harass  the  retreat  of  the  Highlanders. 

Passing  through  Carlisle,  some  men  of  a  Lowland  regi- 
ment, and  Colonel  Townley  with  his  regiment  raised  at 
Manchester,  were  left  there  as  a  garrison,  so  that  the  road 
should  be  kept  open  for  another  and,  as  the  prince  hoped, 
not  far  distant  invasion.  The  step  was,  however,  a  cruel 
one,  for  the  Dnke  of  Cumberland  at  once  laid  siege  to  the 
place,  battered  a  breach  in  its  ancient  wall,  and  the  garri- 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  291 

son  were  forced  to  surrender.  Many  of  them  were  after- 
ward executed  and  imprisoned,  and  ruin  fell  upon  all. 

Charles  with  his  army  marched  north  to  Glasgow,  where 
they  remained  eight  days,  requisitioning  supplies  from  the 
town.  During  their  stay  Eonald  and  Malcolm  put  up  at 
the  house  of  Andrew  Anderson. 

"What  think  you  of  the  chances  now,  Malcolm?"  An- 
drew asked  his  brother,  after  hearing  what  had  taken 
place  since  he  had  last  seen  him. 

"I  thiuk  no  better  and  no  worse  of  it  than  I  did  before, 
brother.  They  have  had  more  success  than  I  looked  for. 
I  did  not  think  they  would  ever  have  got  as  far  south  as 
Derby.  "Who  would  have  thought  that  a  few  thousand 
Highlanders  could  have  marched  half  through  England? 
But  I  see  no  prospect  of  success.  The  prince  is  badly 
advised.  He  has  but  one  really  good  soldier  with  him, 
and  he  is  set  against  him  by  the  intrigues  and  spite  of 
Secretary  Murray  and  his  friends,  and  partly,  it  may  be, 
by  Lord  George's  own  frankness  of  speech.  He  has  at  his 
back  but  half  the  Highlands,  for  the  other  portion  stand 
aloof  from  him.  In  the  Lowlands  he  has  found  scarce  an 
adherent,  and  but  a  handful  in  England.  The  Highlanders 
are  brave;  but  it  is  surely  beyond  human  expectation  that 
five  or  six  thousand  Highlanders  can  vanquish  a  kingdom 
with  a  brave  and  well-trained  army  with  abundant  artillery. 
Eonald  and  I  mean  to  fight  it  out  to  the  end;  but  I  do 
not  think  the  end  will  be  very  far  oif." 

"I  am  sorry  for  the  young  prince,"  Andrew  said.  "He 
is  a  fine  fellow,  certainly — handsome  and  brave  and  cour- 
teous, and  assuredly  clement.  For  three  times  his  life  has 
been  attempted,  and  each  time  he  has  released  those  who 
did  it  without  punishment.  I  could  not  but  think,  as  I 
saw  him  ride  down  the  street  to-day,  that  it  was  sad  that 
so  fine  a  young  man  should  be  doomed  either  to  the  block 
or  to  a  lifelong  imprisonment,  and  that  for  fighting  for 


S92  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

•what  he  has  been  doubtless  tanght  to  consider  his  right. 
There  are  many  here  who  are  bitter  against  him;  but  I 
am  not  one  of  them,  and  I  am  sorry  for  him,  sorry  for  all 
these  brave  gentlemen  and  clansmen,  for  I  fear  that  there 
■will  be  a  terrible  vengeance  for  all  that  has  been  done. 
They  have  frightened  the  English  king  and  his  ministers 
too  sorely  to  be  ever  forgiven,  and  we  shall  have  sad  times 
In  Scotland  when  this  is  all  over." 

Two  evenings  later  Eouald  noticed  that  Andrew,  who 
had  been  absent  for  some  time,  and  had  only  returned  just 
in  time  for  supper,  looked  worried  and  abstracted,  and 
replied  almost  at  random  to  any  questions  put  to  him. 

"It  is  of  no  use,"  he  said  suudenl}',  when  his  wife  had 
left  the  room  after  the  conclusion  of  the  meal.  "I  am  a 
loyal  subject  of  King  George,  and  I  wish  him  every  suc- 
cess in  battle,  and  am  confident  that  he  will  crush  out  this 
rebellion  without  difficulty,  but  I  cannot  go  as  far  as  some. 
I  cannot  stand  by  and  see  murder  done  on  a  poor  lad  who, 
"whatever  his  faults,  is  merciful  and  generous  to  his  ene- 
mies. Malcolm,  I  will  tell  you  all  I  know,  only  bidding 
you  keep  secret  as  to  how  you  got  the  news,  for  it  would 
cost  me  my  life  were  it  known  that  the  matter  had  leaked 
out  through  me. 

"This  evening  live  of  the  council,  knowing  that  I  am  a 
staunch  king's  man,  took  me  aside  after  the  meeting  was 
over,  and  told  me  that  there  was  a  plan  on  foot  to  put  an 
end  to  all  the  trouble  by  the  carrying  off  or  slaying  of 
Prince  Charles.  I  was  about  to  protest  against  it,  when 
I  saw  that  by  so  doing  I  should,  in  the  first  place,  do  no 
good;  in  the  second,  be  looked  upon  as  a  Jacobite;  and  in 
the  tliird,  be  unable  to  learn  the  details  of  what  they  were 
proposing.  So  I  said  that  doubtless  it  v/as  a  good  thing  to 
lay  by  the  heels  the  author  of  all  these  troubles,  and  that 
the  life  of  one  mnn  was  as  naught  in  the  balance  compared 
to  the  prosperity  of  the  whole  country.     WLereupon  they 


BONNIE  PRINUE  CHARLIE.  293 

revealed  to  me  their  plan,  asking  me  for  a  subscription  of 
a  hundred  pounds  to  carry  it  out,  and  saying  truly  that  I 
fihould  get  back  the  money  and  great  honor  fuom  the  king 
when  he  learned  I  had  done  him  such  service.  After 
some  bargaining  I  agreed  for  fifty  pounds." 

"But  what  is  the  plot,  Andrew?"  Malcolm  said  anx- 
iously. 

"It  is  just  this.  The  prince,  as  you  know,  goes  about 
■with  scant  attendance,  and  though  there  are  guards  in 
front  of  his  house,  there  are  but  two  or  three  beside  him- 
self who  sleep  there.  There  is  a  back  entrance  to  which 
no  attention  is  paid,  and  it  will  be  easy  for  those  who  know 
the  house  to  enter  by  that  door,  to  make  their  way  silently 
to  his  chamber,  and  either  to  kill  or  carry  him  oif.  I 
threw  my  voice  in  against  killing,  pointing  out  that  the 
king  would  rather  have  him  alive  than  dead,  so  that  he 
might  be  tried  and  executed  in  due  form.  This  was  also 
their  opinion,  for  they  had  already  hired  a  vessel  which  is 
lying  in  the  stream.  The  plan  is  to  seize  and  gag  him 
and  tie  his  arms.  There  will  be  no  difuculty  in  getting 
him  along  through  the  streets.  There  are  few  folks  abroad 
after  ten  o'clock,  and  should  they  meet  any  one  he  will 
conclude  that  it  is  but  a  drunken  Highlander  being  carried 
home.  You  see,  Malcolm,  there  is  not  only  honor  to  be 
gained  from  the  king,  but  the  thirty  thousand  pounds 
offered  for  the  prince's  person.  I  pretended  to  fall  in 
with  the  plan,  and  gave  tliem  the  fifty  pounds  which  they 
lacked  for  the  hire  of  the  vessel,  the  captain  refusing  to 
let  them  have  it  save  for  money  paid  down.  Now,  Mal- 
colm, I  have  told  you  and  Ronald  all  I  know  about  the 
matter,  and  it  is  for  you  to  see  how  a  stop  may  be  put 
to  it." 

"The  scoundrels!"  Malcolm  said.  "Their  loyalty  to 
the  king  is  but  a  veil  to  hide  their  covetousness  for  the 
reward.  When  is  it  to  take  place,  and  how  many  zjten 
Ciie  likely  to  be  engaged  m  itr" 


294  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"Six  trnsty  men  of  the  city  watch  and  their  five  selves. 
I  said  I  would  subscribe  the  money,  but  would  have  no 
active  share  in  the  business.  They  might  have  all  the 
honor,  I  would  be  content  with  my  share  of  the  reward 
offered.  Two  of  them  with  four  of  the  guards  will  enter 
the  house  and  carry  off  the  prince.  The  rest  will  wait 
outside  and  follow  closely  on  the  way  down  to  the  port 
ready  to  give  aid  if  the  others  should  meet  with  any  ob- 
struction. The  whole  will  embark  and  sail  to  Loudon 
with  him." 

"And  when  is  this  plot  to  be  carried  out?"  Malcolm 
asked. 

"To-morrow  at  midnight.  Tide  will  be  high  half  an 
hour  later;  they  will  drop  down  the  river  as  soon  as  it 
turns,  and  will  be  well  out  to  sea  by  the  morning.  And 
now  I  have  told  you  all,  I  will  only  ask  yon  to  act  so  that 
as  little  trouble  as  possible  may  arise.  Do  not  bring  my 
name  into  the  matter  if  you  can  avoid  doing  so;  but  in 
any  case  I  would  rather  run  the  risk  of  the  ruin  and  death 
which  would  alight  upon  me  when  this  rebellion  is  over 
than  have  such  a  foul  deed  of  treachery  carried  out.  There 
is  not  a  Scotchman  but  to  this  day  curses  the  name  of  the 
traitor  Menteith,  who  betrayed  Wallace.  My  name  is  a 
humble  one,  but  I  would  not  have  it  go  down  to  all  ages 
as  that  of  a  man  who  betrayed  Charles  Stuart  for  English 
gold." 

"Make  yourself  easy,  brother;  Eonald  and  I  will  see  to 
that.  When  once  treachery  is  known  it  is  easy  to  defeat, 
and  Ronald  and  I  will  see  that  your  name  does  not  appear 
in  the  matter." 

"Thank  God  that  is  off  ray  mind!"  Andrew  said;  "and 
I  will  off  to  bed,  or  Janet  will  wonder  what  I  am  talking 
about  so  long.  I  will  leave  you  two  to  settle  how  yon  can 
best  manage  the  affair,  which  you  can  do  without  my  help, 
for  matters  of  this  kind  are  far  more  in  your  way  than  in 
mine." 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  295 

"This  is  a  villainous  business,  Ronald,"  Malcolm  said 
y^hen  they  were  alone;  "and  yet  I  am  not  surprised. 
Thirty  thousand  pounds  would  not  tempt  a  Highlander 
who  has  naught  in  the  world  save  the  plaid  in  which  he 
stands  up;  but  these  money-grubbing  citizens  of  Glasgow 
would  sell  their  souls  for  gain.  And  now  what  do  you 
think  had  best  be  done  in  the  matter,  so  that  the  plot  may 
be  put  a  stop  to,  and  that  without  suspicion  falling  upon 
Andrew.  It  would  be  easy  to  have  a  dozen  men  hiding  in 
the  yard  behind  the  house  and  cut  down  the  fellows  as 
they  enter." 

"I  do  not  think  that  would  do,  Malcolm;  it  would  cause 
a  tumult,  and  the  fact  could  not  be  hidden.  And  besides, 
you  know  what  these  Highlanders  are;  they  already  loathe 
and  despise  the  citizens  of  Glasgow,  and  did  they  know 
that  there  had  been  a  plot  on  foot  to  capture  and  slay  the 
prince,  nothing  could  prevent  their  laying  the  town  in 
ashes." 

"That  is  true  enough.  What  do  you  propose  then, 
Eonald?" 

"I  think  it  best  that  if  there  shonld  be  any  fighting  it 
should  be  on  board  the  ship,  but  possibly  we  may  avoid 
even  that.  I  should  say  that  with  eight  or  ten  men  we 
can  easily  seize  the  vessel,  and  then  when  the  boat  comes 
alongside  capture  the  fellows  as  they  step  on  to  the  deck 
without  trouble,  and  leave  it  to  the  prince  to  settle  what 
is  to  be  done  with  them." 

"  That  is  certainly  the  best  plan,  Ronald.  I  will  get 
together  to-morrow  half  a  dozen  trusty  lads  who  will  ask 
no  questions  as  to  what  I  want  them  to  do,  and  will  be 
silent  about  the  matter  afterward.  We  must  get  from 
Andrew  to-morrow  morning  the  name  of  the  vessel,  and 
see  where  she  is  lying  in  the  stream,  and  where  the  boat 
will  be  waiting  for  the  prince." 

The  next  night  Ronald  and  Malcolm  with  sis  men  made 


296  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

their  way  one  by  one  through  the  streets  so  as  not  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  watch,  and  assembled  near  the  strand. 
Not  until  the  clock  struck  twelve  did  they  approach  the 
stairs  at  the  foot  of  which  the  boat  was  lying.  There 
were  two  men  in  it. 

"You  are  earlier  than  we  expected,"  one  said  as  they 
descended  the  steps.  "  The  captain  said  a  quarter  past 
twelve." 

"Yes,  we  are  a  little  early,"  Malcolm  replied  as  he 
stepped  into  the  boat;  "we  were  ready  earlier  than  we 
expected." 

A  moment  later  Malcolm  suddenly  seized  one  of  the 
sailors  by  the  throat  and  dragged  him  down  to  the  bottom 
of  the  boat,  a  handkerchief  was  stuffed  into  his  mouth, 
and  his  hands  and  feet  tied.  The  other  was  at  the  same 
time  similarly  secured. 

So  sudden  and  unexpected  had  been  the  attack  that  the 
sailors  had  had  no  time  to  cry  out  or  offer  any  resistance, 
and  their  capture  was  effected  without  the  slightest  sound 
being  heard.  The  oars  were  at  once  got  out  and  the  boat 
was  rowed  out  toward  tiie  vessel  lying  out  in  the  middle 
of  the  stream  with  a  light  burning  at  her  peak.  As  they 
approached  the  side  the  captain  appeared  at  the  gangway. 

"All  is  well,  I  hope?'^  he  asked, 

"Could  not  be  better,"  Malcolm  replied  as  he  seized  the 
rope  and  mounted  the  gangway,  the  others  closely  follow- 
ing him.  As  he  sprang  upon  the  deck  he  presented  a 
pistol  at  the  captain's  head. 

"Speak  a  word  and  you  die,"  he  said  sternly. 

Taken  by  surprise  the  captain  offered  no  resistance,  but 
suffered  himself  to  be  bound.  Two  or  three  sailors  on 
deck  were  similarly  seized  and  secured,  the  hatchway  was 
fastened  to  prevent  the  rest  of  the  crew  from  coming  on 
deck,  and  the  ship  being  thus  in  their  possession  two  of 
the  men  at  once  took  their  places  in  the  boat  and  rowed 
back  to  the  stairs. 


BONNIK  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  297 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  those  on  board  heard  a  mur- 
mur of  voices  on  shore,  and  two  or  three  minutes  later  the 
splash  of  oars  as  the  boat  rowed  back  to  the  ship.  Eonald 
put  on  the  captain's  cap  and  stood  at  the  gangway  with  a 
lantern. 

'*  All  right,  I  hope?"  he  asked  as  the  boat  came  along- 
side. 

"All  right,  captain!  You  can  get  up  your  anchor  as 
soon  as  you  like." 

Two  men  monnted  on  to  the  deck,  and  then  four  others 
carried  up  a  figure  and  were  followed  by  the  rest.  As  the 
last  one  touched  the  deck  Eonald  lifted  the  lantern  above 
his  head,  and,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  newcomers,  they 
saw  themselves  confronted  by  eight  armed  men. 

The  six  men  of  the  watch,  furious  at  the  prospect  of 
losing  the  reward  upon  which  they  had  reckoned,  drew 
their  swords  and  rushed  forward;  but  they  "were  struck 
down  with  handspikes  and  swords,  for  Eonald  had  im- 
pressed upon  his  men  the  importance  of  not  using  their 
pistols,  save  in  the  last  extremity.  In  two  minutes  the 
fight  was  over.  The  five  citizens  Jiad  taken  little  part  in 
it,  save  as  the  recipients  of  blows;  for  Malcolm,  furious  at 
their  treachery,  had  bade  the  men  make  no  distinction 
between  them  and  the  watch,  and  had  himself  dealt  them 
one  or  two  heavy  blows  with  his  handspike  after  he  had 
seen  that  the  guard  was  overpowered. 

The  whole  of  them  were  then  bound,  and  warned  that 
their  throats  would  be  cut  if  they  made  the  least  noise. 
The  prince  was  released  from  his  bonds,  and  he  was  at 
once  conducted  by  Malcolm  and  Ronald  to  the  cabin, 
where  a  light  was  burning. 

The  prince  was  so  much  bewildered  by  the  events  that 
had  occurred  that  he  did  not  yet  understand  the  state  of 
the  case.  He  had  been  awoke  by  a  gag  being  roughly 
forced  into  his  mouth,  while  at  the  same  moment  his  hands 


898  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

were  tightly  bound.  Then  he  was  lifted  from  his  bed, 
some  clothes  were  thrown  on  to  him,  a  man  took  his  place 
on  either  side,  and,  thrusting  their  arms  into  his,  threat- 
ened him  with  instant  death  if  he  did  not  come  along  with 
them  without  resistance.  Then  he  had  been  hurried  down 
stairs  and  along  the  streets,  two  men  keeping  a  little  ahead 
and  others  following  behind.  They  had  met  no  one  until 
they  reached  the  shore.  He  had  been  forced  into  a  boat 
and  rowed  up  to  a  ship,  and  on  reaching  the  deck  a  des- 
perate combat  had  suddenly  commenced  all  round  him. 
Then  the  gag  had  been  removed  and  the  bonds  cut.  Be- 
wildered and  amazed  he  gazed  at  the  two  men  who  had 
accompanied  him  to  the  cabin. 

"Why,  Captain  Leslie!"  he  exclaimed.  "Is  it  you? 
What  means  all  this  scene  through  which  I  have  passed?" 

"It  means,  your  royal  highness,"  Ronald  said  respect- 
fully, "  that  I  and  my  friend  Malcolm  obtained  informa- 
tion of  a  plot  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  citizens  to  carry 
yon  off  and  sell  you  to  the  English.  We  could  have  stop- 
ped it  by  attacking  them  as  they  entered  the  house  to  seize 
you;  but  had  we  done  ^o  an  alarm  must  have  been  raised, 
and  we  feared  that  the  Highlanders,  when  they  knew  of 
the  treachery  that  had  been  attempted  against  you,  might 
have  fallen  upon  the  citizens,  and  that  a  terrible  uproar 
would  have  taken  place.  Therefore  we  carried  out  another 
plan.  We  first  of  all  obtained  possession  of  the  ship  in 
which  you  were  to  have  been  taken  away,  and  then  over- 
came your  captors  as  they  brought  you  on  board.  All  this 
has  been  done  without  any  alarm  having  been  given,  and 
it  now  rests  with  you  to  determine  what  shall  be  done  with 
these  wretches." 

"You  have  done  well,  indeed.  Captain  Leslie,  and  I 
thank  you  and  your  friend  not  only  for  the  great  service 
you  have  rendered  me,  but  for  the  manner  in  which  yon 
have  done  it.     I  ought  to  have  foreseen  this.     Did  aot 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  299 

the  Lowlanders  sell  King  Charles  to  the  English.  I  might 
iave  expected  tliat  some  at  least  would  be  tempted  by  the 
reward  offered  for  me.  As  for  punishment  for  these  men, 
they  are  beneath  me.  And,  moreover,  if  I  can  trust  my 
eyes  and  my  ears,  the  knocks  which  yon  gave  them  will  be 
punishment  enough  even  did  I  wish  to  punish  them,  which 
I  do  not.  I  could  not  do  so  without  the  story  of  the 
attempt  being  known,  and  in  that  case  there  would  be  no 
keeping  my  Highlanders  within  bounds.  As  it  is  they  are 
continually  reproaching  me  with  what  they  call  my  mis- 
taken clemency,  and  there  would  be  no  restraining  them 
did  they  know  of  this.  No,  we  had  best  leave  them  to 
themselves.  We  will  order  the  captain  to  put  to  sea  with 
them  at  once,  and  tell  him  he  had  best  not  return  to  Glas- 
gow until  I  have  left  it.  They  will  have  time  to  reflect 
there  at  leisure,  and  as,  doubtless,  they  have  each  of  them 
given  reasons  at  home  for  an  absence  of  some  duration 
there  will  be  no  anxiety  respecting  tiiem.  And  now,  gen- 
tlemen, will  you  fetch  in  those  who  have  aided  you  in  my 
rescue.  I  would  thank  every  one  of  them  for  the  service 
they  have  rendered,  and  impress  upon  them  my  urgent 
desire  that  they  should  say  nothing  to  any  one  of  this 
night's  work." 

While  the  prince  was  speaking  to  the  men  Malcolm 
went  out,  and  having  unbound  the  captain,  ordered  him 
to  deliver  up  the  sum  which  he  had  received  for  the  con- 
veyance of  the  prince  and  his  captors  to  England. 

The  captain  did  as  he  was  ordered. 

"How  much  is  there  here?"  Malcolm  asked. 

"Three  hundred  pounds." 

Malcolm  counted  out  fifty  of  it  and  placed  them  in  his 
pocket,  saying  to  Eonald : 

"There  is  no  reason  Andrew  should  be  a  loser  by  the 
transaction.  That  will  leave  two  hundred  and  fifty,  which 
I  will  divide  among  our  men  when  we  get  ashore." 


300  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

Malcolm  then  gave  the  prince's  orders  to  the  captain; 
that  he  must,  immediately  they  left  the  ship,  get  up  his 
anchor  as  before  intended,  and  make  out  to  sea;  and  that 
tinder  pain  of  being  tried  and  executed  for  his  share  in 
this  treacherous  business,  he  was  not  to  return  to  Glasgow 
with  his  eleven  passengers  for  the  space  of  a  week. 

The  prince  and  his  rescuers  then  entered  the  boats  and 
rowed  to  shore,  and  the  prince  regained  his  apartment 
without  any  one  in  the  house  being  aware  that  he  had  been 
absent  from  it.  The  next  day  the  prince  sent  for  Konald 
and  Malcolm,  and  in  a  private  interview  again  expressed 
to  them  his  gratitude  for  his  rescue  from  the  hands  of  his 
enemies. 

"I  have  none  but  empty  honor  to  bestow  now,"  he  said; 
"but  believe  me,  if  I  ever  mount  the  throne  of  England 
you  shall  see  that  Charles  Edward  Stuart  is  not  ungrate- 
ful." 

The  incident  was  kept  a  close  secret,  only  two  or  three 
of  the  prince's  most  intimate  advisers  ever  being  informed 
of  it.  These  were  unanimous  in  urging  that  an  absolute 
silence  should  be  maintained  on  the  subject,  for  the  fact 
that  the  attempt  would  have  certainly  been  crowned  with 
success  had  it  not  been  for  the  measures  Eonald  had  taken 
might  encourage  others  to  attempt  a  repetition  of  it. 

Having  rested  his  army  by  a  stay  of  eight  days  at  Glas- 
gow, Prince  Charles  set  out  on  the  3d  of  January,  1?46, 
for  Stirling,  where  he  was  joined  by  Lords  John  Drum- 
raond,  Lewis  Gordon,  and  Strathallan,  the  first-named  of 
whom  had  brought  some  battering  guns  and  engiueers 
from  France.  Their  following  raised  the  force  to  nearly 
nine  thousand  men — the  largest  army  that  Charles  mus- 
tered during  the  course  of  the  campaign.  The  siege  of 
Stirling  was  at  once  comm.enced;  but  the  castle  was  strong 
and  well  defended,  and  the  siege  made  but  little  progress. 
In  the  meantime  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  had  been 


Tbe  flight  from  Culloden.— : 


317. 

— Bonnie  Prince  Charlie, 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  301 

recalled  with  the  greater  part  of  his  force  to  guard  the 
southern  coasts  of  England,  which  were  threatened  by  an 
invasion  by  a  French  force  now  assembled  at  Dunkirk, 
and  which,  had  it  sailed  before  the  Highlanders  com- 
menced their  retreat  from  Derby,  might  have  altogether 
altered  the  situation  of  affairs.  The  command  of  the 
English  army  in  the  north  was  handed  by  the  duke  to 
General  Hawley,  a  man  after  his  own  heart,  violent  in 
temper,  brutal  and  cruel  in  conduct. 

He  collected  at  Edinburgh  an  army  of  nearly  the  same 
strength  as  that  of  Prince  Charles,  and  with  these  he 
marched  out  as  far  as  Falkirk  to  raise  the  siege  of  Stirling, 
and,  as  he  confidently  boasted,  to  drive  the  rebels  before 
him.  Prince  Charles,  leaving  a  few  hundred  men  to  con- 
tinue the  siege,  marched  out  to  Bannockburn.  The  Eng- 
lish did  not  move  out  from  Falkirk,  and  the  prince,  after 
waiting  for  a  day,  determined  to  take  the  initiative. 

Hawley  himself  was  stopping  at  Callendar  House  at  some 
distance  from  his  army,  and  General  Huske  remained  in 
command  of  the  camp.  To  occupy  his  attention  the  prince 
dispatched  Lord  John  Drummond  with  all  the  cavalry, 
by  the  straight  road  by  Stirling  to  Falkirk,  which  ran 
north  of  the  English  camp.  They  displayed,  as  they 
marched,  the  royal  standard  and  other  colors,  which  had 
the  desired  effect  of  impressing  Huske  with  the  idea  that 
the  prince  with  all  his  army  was  moving  that  way.  In 
the  meantime  Charles  with  his  main  force  had  crossed  the 
river  Carron  to  the  south  and  was  only  separated  from  the 
English  by  Falkirk  Muir,  a  rugged  and  rigid  upland  cov- 
ered with  heath. 

Just  as  the  English  were  about  to  take  their  dinner 
some  country  people  brought  in  the  news  of  the  approach 
of  the  Highlanders.  Huske  at  once  got  his  men  under 
arms,  but  he  had  no  authority,  in  the  absence  of  Hawley, 
to  set  them  in  motion.     Messengers,  however,  were  sent 


3056  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

oS  on  horseback  at  once  to  Callendar  House,  and  the  gen- 
eral presently  galloped  up  in  breathless  haste,  and  putting 
himself  at  the  head  of  his  three  regiments  of  dragoons, 
started  for  Falkirk  Mnir,  which  he  ^hoped  to  gain  before 
the  Highlanders  could  take  possession  of  it.  He  ordered 
the  infantry  to  follow  as  fast  as  possible.  A  storm  of  wind 
«nd  rain  beat  in  the  face  of  the  soldiers,  and  before  they 
could  gain  the  crest  of  the  muir  the  Highlanders  had  ob- 
tained possession.  The  English  then  halted  and  drew  up 
on  somewhat  lower  ground. 

Between  them  was  a  ravine  which  formed  but  a  small 
depression  opposite  the  center  of  the  English  line,  but 
deepened  toward  the  plain  on  their  right.  The  English 
artillery,  in  the  hurry  of  their  advance,  had  stuck  fast  in 
a  morass,  but  as  the  Highlanders  had  brought  no  guns 
with  them  the  forces  were  equal  in  this  respect.  Lord 
John  Drummond  had  from  a  distance  been  watching  the 
movements  of  the  English,  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  that  they 
had  taken  the  alarm  and  were  advancing  against  the  prince, 
he  made  a  detour,  and,  riding  round  the  English,  joined 
the  Highland  infantry.  The  priuce's  army  was  divided 
into  two  lines:  its  right  was  commanded  by  Lord  George 
Murray,  the  left  by  Lord  John  Drnmraond;  the  prince, 
as  at  Preston,  took  up  his  station  in  the  center  of  the  sec- 
ond line  on  a  conspicuous  mound,  still  kmv.u  by  the  name 
of  Charlie's  Hill. 

The  English  infantry  were  also  drawn  up  in  i^o  lines, 
with  the  Argyle  militia  and  the  Glasgow  regiment  in  re- 
serve behind  the  second  line.  The  cavalry  were  in  front 
under  Colonel  Ligonier,  who,  at  the  death  of  Colonel  Gar- 
diner, had  succeeded  to  the  command  of  his  regiment. 
General  Hawley  commanded  the  center  and  General  linske 
the  right. 

The  battle  jommenced  by  a  charge  of  Ligonier  with  his 
cavalry  upon  the  Highland  right.     Here  the  Macdon^ild 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  303 

clansmen  were  posted,  and  these,  at  Lord  George  Murray's 
order,  reserved  their  fire  until  the  dragoons  were  within 
ten  yards,  and  then  poured  in  a  scathing  volley,  under 
which  numbers  of  the  horsemen  went  down.  The  two 
dragoon  regiments,  which  had  fled  so  shamefully  at  Pres- 
ton and  Coltbridge,  turned  and  galloped  at  once  from  the 
field;  but  Cobham's  regiment  fought  well,  and  when  com- 
pelled to  retreat  rallied  behind  the  right  of  the  line. 

Lord  George  Murray  endeavored  to  get  the  victorious 
Macdonalds  into  line  again ;  but  these  were  beyond  control, 
and  rushing  forward  fell  upon  the  flank  of  Hawley's  two 
lines  of  foot,  which  were  at  the  same  moment  furiously 
assailed  in  front;  the  Highlanders,  after  pouring  in  their 
fire,  dropped  their  muskets  and  charged  broadsword  in 
hand. 

The  English,  nearly  blinded  by  the  wind  and  rain,  were 
unable  to  withstand  this  combined  assault.  General  Haw- 
ley,  who  at  least  possessed  the  virtue  of  courage,  rode 
hither  and  thither  in  their  front,  trying  to  encourage  them, 
but  in  vain,  the  whole  center  gave  v/ay  and  fled  in  confu- 
sion. On  the  right,  however,  the  English  were  defending 
themselves  successfully.  The  three  regiments  placed  there, 
on  the  edge  of  the  ravine,  maintained  so  steady  a  fire  that 
the  Highlanders  were  unable  to  cross  it,  and  Cobham's 
dragoons  charged  down  upon  the  scattered  and  victorious 
Highlanders  in  the  center  and  effectually  checked  their 
pursuit.  Prince  Charles,  seeing  the  danger,  put  himself 
at  the  head  of  the  second  line  and  advanced  against  the 
three  English  regiments  who  still  stood  firm. 

Unable  to  withstand  so  overwhelming  a  force  these  fell 
back  from  the  ground  they  had  held,  but  did  so  in  steady 
order,  their  drums  beating,  and  covering,- in  their  retreat, 
the  mingled  mass  of  fugitives.  Had  the  Highlanders,  at 
this  critical  moment,  flung  themselves  with  their  whole 
force  upon  these  regiments  the  English  army  would  have 


304  BONNIE  PRINCE  CRAULIE. 

been  wholly  destroyed ;  but  night  was  already  setting  in, 
and  the  Scottish  leaders  were  ignorant  how  complete  was 
their  victory,  and  feared  an  ambuscade.  Lord  John 
Drummond,  a  general  officer  in  the  French  service,  espe- 
cially opposed  the  pursuit,  saying,  "  These  men  behaved 
admirably  at  Fontenoy;  surely  this  must  be  a  feint." 

The  Highlanders  remained  stationary  on  the  field  until 
some  detachments,  sent  forward  by  the  prince,  brought 
back  word  that  the  English  had  already  retreated  from 
Falkirk.  They  left  behind  them  on  the  field  four  hundred 
dead  or  dying,  with  a  large  proportion  of  officers,  and  a 
hundred  prisoners;  all  their  artillery,  ammunition,  and 
baggage  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Highlanders,  whose 
total  loss  was  only  about  a  hundred.  The  English,  on 
their  retreat,  burned  to  the  ground  the  royal  palace  at 
Linlithgow. 


BOMNIE  PBINOE  CHARLIE.  305 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CULLODEN. 

The  victory  of  Falkirk  bronght  bnt  little  advantage  to 
Prince  Charles,  and  dissensions  arose  among  the  officers; 
Lord  George  Murray  being  furions  with  Lord  John  Drum- 
mond  for  preventing  the  complete  destruction  of  the  Eng- 
lish army,  while  Lord  John  Drummond  severely  criticised 
Lord  George  for  the  confusion  which  had  taken  place 
among  his  troops  after  their  success. 

Great  numbers  of  the  Highlanders,  who  had  spent  the 
night  after  the  battle  in  plundering  the  English  camp  and 
stripping  the  slain,  made  off  with  their  booty  to  the  moun- 
tains, and  the  number  of  desertions  was  increased  by  the 
withdrawal  of  the  greater  part  of  Glengarry's  clansmen. 
On  the  day  after  the  battle  the  musket  of  one  of  the  Clan- 
ranald  clansmen  went  off  by  accident  and  killed  the  son  of 
Glengarry.  His  clansmen  loudly  demanded  life  for  life, 
and  Clanranald  having  reluctantly  consented  to  surrender 
his  follower,  the  poor  fellow  was  immediately  led  out  and 
shot;  but  even  this  savage  act  of  vengeance  was  insufficient 
to  satisfy  the  Glengarry  men,  the  greater  part  of  whom  at 
once  left  the  army  and  returned  to  their  homes. 

After  the  battle  the  siege  of  Stirling  was  renewed ;  bnt 
owing  to  the  gross  incompetence  of  a  French  engineer, 
who  had  come  over  with  Lord  John  Drummond,  the  bat- 
teries were  so  badly  placed  that  their  fire  was  easily  silenced 
by  that  of  the  castle  guns.     The  prince,  in  spite  of  the 


306  BONNIE  PRIISGE  CHARLIE. 

advice  of  Lord  George  Murray  and  the  other  competent 
authorities,  and  listening  only  to  his  favorite  conuselors, 
Secretary  Murray  and  Sir  Thomas  Sheridan,  continued 
the  siege,  although  on  the  30th  of  January  the  Duke  of 
Cumberland  arrived  in  Edinburgh  and  took  the  command 
of  the  army. 

Never  had  Scotland  a  more  bitter  enemy.  Eelentless 
and  savage  as  General  Hawley  had  been,  his  deeds  were 
more  than  rivaled  by  those  of  the  Duke  of  Cumberland, 
■who  was  justly  branded  by  contemporary  historians  with 
the  name  of  "the  butcher."  He  was,  however,  an  able 
general,  of  great  activity  and  high  personal  courage. 

After  halting  but  one  night  in  Edinburgh  he  set  out  at 
the  head  of  his  army  to  meet  the  enemy;  but  these  did 
not  repeat  their  tactics  at  Falkirk.  Disgusted  at  the  con- 
duct of  the  prince  in  slighting  their  advice  and  listening 
only  to  his  unworthy  counselors,  Lord  George  Murray 
with  all  the  principal  military  leaders  held  a  consultation, 
and  presented  a  memorial  to  the  prince.  In  this  they 
stated  that,  seeing  the  great  numbers  of  Highlanders  who 
had  gone  home,  they  were  of  opinion  that  another  battle 
could  not  be  fought  with  a  chance  of  success,  and  there- 
fore recommended  that  the  army  should  at  once  retire  to 
the  Highlands,  where  a  sufficient  number  of  men  could  be 
kept  together  to  defy  the  efforts  of  the  enemy  at  such  a 
season  of  the  year,  and  that  in  the  spring  ten  thousand 
Highlanders  could  be  got  together  to  go  Avheresoever  the 
prince  might  lead  them.  Prince  Charles  was  struck  with 
grief  and  dismay  at  this  decision,  but  as  all  the  military 
leaders  had  signed  it  he  was  forced  to  give  way. 

The  army  at  once  blew  up  its  magazines,  spiked  its 
guns,  and  marched  for  the  ncrrth  in  two  divisions  with 
much  confusion  and  loss  of  order.  The  Duke  of  Cumber- 
land pursued,  but  was  unable  to  come  up  to  them,  and 
halted  at  Perth. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  30'? 

Ronald,  who  had,  from  the  time  he  returned  to  the 
army,  again  taken  up  his  former  appointment  of  aide-de- 
camp to  Lord  George  Murray,  had  during  this  time  tried 
his  best  to  reconcile  the  differences  which  were  constantly 
breaking  out  between  that  general,  the  prince,  and  the 
clique  who  surrounded  him.  It  was  a  difficult  task,  for 
Lord  George's  impetuosity  and  outspoken  brusqueness, 
and  his  unconcealed  contempt  for  Secretary  Murray  and 
Sheridan  reopened  the  breach  as  fast  as  it  was  closed. 

Since  the  day  when  he  had  saved  the  prince  from  being 
carried  off  at  Glasgow  the  latter  had  shown  a  marked  par- 
tiality for  Eonald's  society,  and  the  latter  had  therefore 
many  opportunities  of  intervening  to  prevent  open  quar- 
rels from  breaking  out.  The  prince  himself  was  frequently 
greatly  depressed  in  spirits,  and  the  light-hearted  gayety 
which  had  distinguished  him  on  his  first  landing  was  now 
fitful  and  short-lived.  His  disappointment  at 'the  failure 
of  a  campaign  in  which  he  had  won  every  battle  was  deep 
and  bitter.  He  had  relied  upon  the  aid  of  France,  but 
no  aid  had  come.  He  had  been  grossly  misinformed  as  to 
the  willingness  of  the  Jacobites  of  England  to  take  up 
arms  in  his  favor;  and  although  a  portion  of  the  High- 
landers of  Scotland  had  warmly  embraced  his  cause,  yet 
many  on  whom  he  had  relied  stoodoaloof  or  were  in  arms 
against  him,  while  in  the  Lowlands  he  had  found  but  few 
adherents. 

So  far  from  gaining  ground,  he  was  losing  it.  Numbers 
of  the  Highlanders  had  gone  off  to  their  homes.  The  re- 
treat from  Derby  had  completely  chilled  the  enthusiasm 
of  his  adherents,  while  the  waverers  and  time-servers  had 
been  induced  thereby  to  declare  against  him.  The  Duko 
of  Cumberland's  army  steadily  increased,  and  even  had 
the  advice  of  the  Highland  chiefs  been  followed  and  the 
army  dispersed  to  reassemble  in  the  spring,  the  chances  of 
success  would  have  been  no  more  favorable  than  at  present. 


308  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

for  now  that  the  first  surprise  and  panic  were  past  England 
wonld  put  forth  her  whole  strength,  and  would  by  the 
spring  have  an  army  assembled  in  Scotland  against  which 
the  Highland  clans,  even  if  nnanimous,  could  not  hope  to 
cope. 

Konald  was  perfectly  alive  to  the  hopelessness  of  final 
success.  He  had  seen  the  British  infantry  at  Dettingen 
and  Fontenoy,  and  felt  sure  that  although  the  wild  High- 
land rush  had  at  first  proved  irresistible,  this  could  not 
continue,  and  that  discipline  and  training  must  eventually 
triumph  over  mere  valor.  When  he  and  Malcolm  talked 
the  matter  over  together  they  agreed  that  there  could  be 
but  one  issue  to  the  struggle,  and  that  ruin  and  disaster 
must  fall  upon  all  who  had  taken  part  in  the  enterprise. 

"I  feel  thankful  indeed,"  Eonald  said  one  day,  "that  I 
am  here  only  as  a  private  gentleman  risking  my  own  life. 
I  do  not  know  what  my  feelings  would  be,  if,  like  these 
Highland  chiefs,  I  had  brought  all  my  kinsmen  and  fol- 
lowers with  me  into  the  field.  The  thought  of  the  ruin 
and  misery  which  would  fall  upon  them  would  be  dread- 
ful. I  fear  that  the  vengeance  which  will  be  taken  after 
this  is  over  will  be  far  greater  and  more  widespread  than 
that  which  followed  '15.  All  say  that  the  Duke  of  Cum- 
berland is  brutal  and  pitilsss,  and  the  fact  that  we  were 
nearly  successful  will  naturally  add  to  the  severity  with 
which  the  English  government  will  treat  us  if  we  fall  into 
their  power.  Had  the  enterprise  been  defeated  at  its 
commencement  they  could  have  afforded  to  be  lenient. 
As  it  is,  I  fear  that  they  will  determine  to  teach  the  High- 
landers such  a  lesson  as  will  ensure  their  never  again  ven- 
turing to  rise  in  arms  against  the  house  of  Hanover." 

"And  I  don't  know  that  they  are  altogether  to  be 
blamed,"  Malcolm  said.  "I  am  not  so  young  as  I  was, 
Ronald,  and  I  see  now  that  I  was  wrong  in  teaching  yon 
to  be  a  Jacobite.     It  is  all  very  well  for  men  like  Tulli- 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  309 

bardine,  who  knew  the  Stuarts  on  the  throne,  to  fight  to 
put  them  back  again;  but  to  your  generation,  Ronald,  the 
Stuarts  are  after  all  only  a  tradition,  and  it  is  a  sort  of 
generous  madness  for  you  to  risk  your  life  to  set  them 
again  on  the  throne  of  England.  It  cannot  matter  a  brass 
pin  to  you  whether  James  or  George  rules  at  St.  James'. 
It  is  not,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Royalists  in  England  iu 
Charles'  time  or  of  the  Covenanters  of  Scotland,  that  a 
great  principle  is  involved — a  principle  for  which  men  may 
well  risk  their  lives  and  all  they  hold  dear.  It  is  a  ques- 
tion of  persons  only,  and  although  I  may  hold  that  by 
right  of  descent  Charles  Edward  is  Prince  of  Wales  and 
rightful  heir  to  the  throne  of  England,  that  is  no  reason 
■why  I  should  risk  my  life  to  place  him  there;  and  after 
all  it  seems  to  me  that  if  the  majority  in  these  islands 
determine  that  they  will  be  ruled  by  the  house  of  Hanover 
instead  of  the  house  of  Stuart  they  have  some  right  to 
make  their  own  choice." 

"  You  argue  like  a  philosopher,  Malcolm,"  Ronald  said, 
laughing,  "and  do  not  remind  me  in  the  slightest  degree 
•of  the  Malcolm  who  used  to  chat  with  me  in  Glasgow." 

"  You  are  right  there,  lad.  You  see  I  was  brought  up  a 
Jacobite,  and  I  have  been  a  soldier  all  my  life,  accustomed 
to  charge  when  I  was  told  to  charge  and  to  kill  those  I 
was  told  to  kill;  but  I  own  that  since  I  have  been  out  now 
I  have  got  to  look  at  matters  differently.  The  sight  of 
all  these  poor  Highland  bodies  blindly  following  their 
chiefs  and  risking  life  and  all  for  a  cause  in  which  they 
have  no  shadow  of  interest  has  made  me  think.  A  soldier 
is  a  soldier,  and  if  he  were  to  sit  down  to  argue  about  the 
Justice  of  every  cause  in  which  he  is  ordered  to  fight  there 
would  be  an  end  to  all  discipline.  But  these  poor  fellows 
are  not  soldiers,  and  so  I  say  to  myself,  What  concern 
have  they  in  this  matter?  Their  chiefs  would  gain  honors 
and  rewards,  patents  of  high  nobility,  and  additions  to 


310  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

their  estates  if  the  Stuarts  conquered,  but  their  followers 
would  gain  nothing  whatever.  No,  lad,  if  we  get  over 
this  scrape  I  have  done  with  righting;  and  I  hope  that  no 
Stuart  will  ever  again  succeed  in  getting  Scotland  to  take 
up  his  cause.  I  shall  go  on  fighting  for  Prince  Charlie  as 
long  as  there  is  a  man  left  with  him;  but  after  that  there 
is  an  end  of  it  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  and  I  hope  as  far 
as  Scotland  is  concerned." 

"I  hope  so  too,  Malcolm.  When  Scotland  is  herself 
divided,  Ireland  passive,  and  all  England  hostile,  success 
is  hopeless.  The  Stuarts  will  never  get  such  another 
chance  again  as  they  had  on  the  day  when  we  turned  our 
backs  on  London  at  Derby,  and  I  hope  that  they  will  not 
again  make  the  'attempt,  especially  as  it  is  manifest  now 
that  France  has  only  used  them  as  tools  against  England, 
and  has  no  idea  of  giving  them  any  effectual  aid." 

Charles  on  approaching  Inverness  found  it  roughly  for- 
tified and  held  by  Lord  Loudon  with  a  force  of  two  thou- 
sand men.  The  prince  halted  ten  miles  from  the  town  at 
Moy  Castle,  where  he  was  entertained  by  Lady  M'Intosh, 
whose  husband  was  serving  with  Lord  Loudon,  but  who 
had  raised  the  clan  for  Prince  Charles.  The  prince  had 
but  a  few  personal  attendants  with  him,  the  army  having 
been  halted  at  some  distance  from  the  castle. 

One  evening  Ronald  had  ridden  over  to  Moy  Castle  with 
some  dispatches  from  Lord  George  Murray  to  the  prince, 
and  had  remained  there  to  dine  with  him.  It  was  late 
before  he  mounted  his  horse.  He  was,  as  usual,  accom- 
panied by  Malcolm.  They  had  ridden  but  a  short  distance 
through  the  wood  which  surrounded  the  castle  when  a 
shot  was  fired,  and  almost  immediately  afterward  four  or 
five  men  came  running  through  the  trees. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  Malcolm  shouted. 
"The  English  army  are  upon  us!"  one  of  the  M'Intoshes 
— for  they  were  clansmen  who  had  been  sleeping  in  the 
wood — answered. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  311 

"They  must  intend  to  seize  the  prince,"  Ronald  said, 
"and  will  already  have  sent  round  a  body  of  horse  to  cut 
off  his  retreat.  Scatter  through  the  wood,  men,  and  do 
each  of  you  raise  the  war-cry  of  one  of  the  clans  as  if  the 
v/hole  army  were  here.  This  may  cause  a  delay  and  enable 
the  prince  to  ride  off.  Malcolm,  do  you  ride  back  with  all 
speed  to  the  castle  and  warn  the  prince  of  Loudon's 
approach." 

The  Highlanders  at  once  obeyed  Ronald's  orders,  and  in 
a  minute  or  two  the  war-cries  of  half  a  dozen  of  the  prin- 
cipal clans  in  Prince  Charles'  army  rang  through  the 
■woods,  while  at  the  same  time  the  Highlanders  discharged 
their  muskets.  Ronald  also  shouted  orders,  as  to  a  large 
body  of  men. 

The  English,  who  had  made  sure  of  effecting  a  success- 
ful surprise,  hesitated  as  they  heard  the  war-cries  of  the 
clans  ringing  through  the  woods,  and  believing  that  the 
whole  of  Prince  Charles'  army  were  at  hand,  and  they  were 
about  to  be  attacked  in  overwhelming  numbers,  they  re- 
treated hastily  to  Inverness.  No  sooner  had  Ronald  dis- 
covered that  they  had  fallen  back  than  he  rode  off  to 
inform  the  prince  that  the  danger  was  over. 

He  found  Prince  Charles  mounted,  with  Lady  M'Intosh 
on  horseback  by  his  side,  and  the  retainers  in  the  castle 
gathered  round,  broadsword  in  hand,  in  readiness  to  cut 
their  way  through  any  body  of  the  enemy's  horse  who 
might  intercept  their  retreat.  Charles  laughed  heartily 
when  he  heard  of  the  strategy  which  Ronald  had  employed 
to  arrest  the  advance  of  the  enemy,  and  thanked  him  for 
again  having  saved  him  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy. 

The  English  made  their  retreat  to  Inverness  in  such 
confusion  and  dismay  that  the  affair  became  known  in 
liistory  as  the  "rout  of  Moy." 

The  next  morning,  the  l?th  of  February,  the  prince 


313  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

called  up  his  army,  and  the  next  day  advanced  against 
Inverness.  Lord  London  did  not  await  his  corning.  The 
panic  of  his  soldiers  tv/o  days  before  showed  him  that  no 
reliance  could  be  placed  upon  them,  and  embarking  with 
them  in  boats  he  crossed  the  Moray  Frith  to  Cromarty, 
■where  the  troops  shortly  afterward  disbanded  upon  hearing 
that  the  Earl  of  Cromarty  was  marching  against  them 
■with  some  Highland  regiments. 

The  town  of  Inverness  was  occupied  at  once,  and  the 
citadel  surrendered  in  a  few  days.  The  army,  now  in  a 
barren  and  mountainous  region,  were  deprived  of  all  re- 
sources. Many  ships  with  supplies  were  sent  off  from 
France,  but  few  of  them  reached  their  destination;  several 
being  captured  by  British  cruisers,  and  others  compelled 
to  go  back  to  French  ports. 

The  supply  of  money  in  the  treasury  was  reduced  to  the 
lowest  ebb,  and  Charles  was  obliged  to  pay  his  troops  in 
meal,  and  even  this  was  frequently  deficient,  and  the  men 
suffered  severely  from  hunger.  Many  deserted,  and  others 
scattered  over  the  country  in  search  of  subsistence. 

In  the  meantime  the  Buke  of  Cumberland's  army  ^was 
receiving  powerful  reinforceraccts.  In  February  Prince 
Frederick  of  Hesse-Cassel,  with  five  thousand  of  his  troops, 
■who  had  been  hired  by  the  British  government,  landed  at 
Leith.  These  troops  were  placed  in  garrison  in  all  the 
towns  in  the  south  of  Scotland,  thus  enabling  the  Duke  of 
Cumberland  to  draw  together  the  whole  of  the  English 
forces  for  his  advance  into  the  Highlands. 

On  the  8th  of  April  he  set  out  from  Aberdeen  with 
eight  thousand  foot  and  nine  hundred  horse.  He  marched 
along  the  coast  accompanied  by  the  fleet,  which  landed 
supplies  as  needed.  At  tife  Spey  Lord  John  Drummond 
had  prepared  to  defend  the  fords,  and  some  works  had 
been  thrown  up  to  protect  them;  but  the  English  cannon 
were  brought  up  in  such  numbers  that  Lord  John,  consid- 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE,  313 

ering  the  position  untenable,  retired  to  Inverness,  while 
the  English  army  forded  the  Spey,  and  on  the  14th  entered 
Nairn,  where  some  skirmishing  took  place  between  their 
advance  guard  and  the  Highland  rear. 

Prince  Charles  and  his  principal  oflBcers  rested  that 
night  at  Culloden  Honse  and  the  troops  lay  upon  the 
adjaceiifc  moor.  On  the  morning  of  the  15th  they  drew 
up  in  order  of  battle.  The  English,  however,  rested  for 
the  day  at  Nairn,  and  there  celebrated  the  Duke  of  Cum- 
berland's birthday  with  much  feasting,  abundant  supplies 
being  landed  from  the  fleet. 

The  Highlanders,  on  the  other  hand,  fasted,  only  one 
biscuit  per  man  being  issued  during  the  day.  Consequently 
many  straggled  away  to  Inverness  and  other  places  in 
search  of  food.  Lord  Cromarty,  with  the  regiments  under 
his  command,  were  absent,  so  that  barely  five  thousand 
men  were  mustered  in  the  ranks.  At  a  council  of  war  Lord 
George  Murray  suggested  that  a  night  surprise  should  be 
made  on  the  duke's  camp  at  Nairn,  and  as  this  was  the 
prince's  own  plan  it  was  unanimously  agreed  to. 

Before,  however,  the  straggling  troops  could  be  collected 
it  was  eight  o'clock  at  night.  Nairn  was  twelve  miles  dis- 
tant, and  the  men,  weakened  by  privation  and  hunger, 
marched  so  slowly  across  the  marshy  ground  that  it  was 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning  before  the  head  of  the  columns 
arrived  within  four  miles  of  the  British  camp,  while  the 
rear  was  still  far  away,  and  many  had  dropped  out  of  the 
ranks  from  fatigue. 

It  was  now  too  late  to  hope  that  a  surprise  could  be 
effected  before  daylight,  and  the  army  retraced  its  steps  to 
Culloden  Moor.  Worn  out  and  exhausted  as  they  were, 
and  wholly  without  supplies  of  provisions.  Lord  George 
Murray  and  the  other  military  officers  felt  that  the  troops 
could  not  hope  to  contend  successfully  against  a  vastly 
superior  army,  fresh,  well  fed,  and  supported  by  a  strong 


314  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

force  of  artillery,  on  the  open  ground,  and  he  proposed 
that  the  army  shonld  retire  beyond  the  river  Nairn,  and 
take  up  a  position  there  on  broken  ground  inaccessible  to 
cavalry. 

The  prince,  however,  supported  by  Sir  Thomas  Sheridan 
and  his  other  evil  advisers,  overruled  the  opinion  of  the 
military  leaders,  and  decided  to  fight  on  level  ground. 
The  Highlanders  were  now  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle  in 
two  lines.  On  the  right  were  the  Athole  brigade,  tho 
Canierons,  the  Stuarts,  and  some  other  clans  under  Lord 
George  Murray;  on  the  left  the  Macdonald  regiments 
under  Lord  John  Drummond.  This  arrangement,  unfor- 
tunately, caused  great  discontent  among  the  Macdonalds, 
just  as  their  being  given  the  post  of  honor  at  Falkirk  had 
given  umbrage  to  the  other  clans. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  English  army  was  seen  approach- 
ing. It  was  formed  in  three  lines,  with  cavalry  on  each 
wing,  and  two  pieces  of  cannon  between  every  two  regi- 
ments of  the  first  line.  The  battle  began  with  an  artillery 
duel,  but  in  this  the  advantage  was  all  on  the  side  of  the 
English,  the  number  of  their  pieces  and  the  skill  of  their 
gunners  being  greatly  superior. 

Prince  Charles  rode  along  the  front  line  to  animate  his 
men,  and  as  he  did  so  several  of  his  escort  were  killed  by  the 
English  cannonade.  A  storm  of  snow  and  hail  had  set  in, 
blowing  full  in  the  face  of  the  Highlanders.  At  length 
Lord  George  Murray,  finding  that  he  was  suffering  heavily 
from  the  enemy's  artillery  fire,  while  his  own  guns  inflicted 
but  little  damage  upon  them,  sent  to  Prince  Charles  for 
permission  to  charge. 

On  receiving  it  he  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  his 
men,  and  with  the  whole  of  the  right  wing  and  center 
charged  the  enemy.  They  were  received  with  a  tremen- 
dous musketry  tire,  while  the  English  artillery  swept  the 
rauks  with  grape j  but  so  furious  was  their  onslaught  that 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  315 

they  broke  through  Mnnro  and  Barrel's  regiments  in  the 
first  line  and  captured  two  pieces  of  cannon.  But  behind 
were  the  second  line  drawn  up  three  deep,  with  the  front 
rank  kneeling,  and  these,  reserving  their  fire  nntil  the 
Highlanders  were  close  at  hand,  opened  a  rolling  fire  so 
sustained  and  heavy  that  the  Highlanders  were  thrown 
into  complete  disorder. 

Before  they  could  recover  themselves  they  were  charged 
by  horse  and  foot  on  both  flanks,  and  driven  together  till 
they  became  a  confused  mass.  In  vain  did  their  chiefs 
attempt  to  rally  them.  Exhausted  and  weakened  in  body, 
swept  by  the  continuous  fire  of  the  English,  they  could  do 
no  more,  and  at  last  broke  and  fled.  In  the  meantime  the 
Macdonalds  on  the  left  remained  inactive.  In  vain  Lord 
John  Drummoud  and  the  Duke  of  Perth  called  upon 
them  to  charge,  in  vain  their  chief,  Keppoch,  rushed  for- 
ward with  a  few  of  his  clansmen  and  died  in  front  of 
them.  Nothing  would  induce  them  to  fight,  and  when  the 
right  and  center  were  defeated  they  fell  back  in  good  order, 
and,  joining  the  remnants  of  the  second  line,  retired  from 
the  field  unbroken. 

Charles,  from  the  heights  on  which  he  stood  with  a 
squadron  of  horse,  could  scarce  believe  the  evidence  of  his 
eyes  when  he  saw  the  hitherto  victorious  Highlanders 
broken  and  defeated,  aud  would  have  ridden  down  himself 
to  share  their  fate  had  not  O'Sullivan  and  Sheridan  seized 
his  horse  by  the  bridle  and  forced  him  from  the  field. 
Being  pressed  by  the  English,  the  retreating  force  broke 
into  two  divisions.  The  smaller  retreated  to  Inverness, 
where  they  next  day  laid  down  their  arms  to  the  Duke  of 
Cumberland;  the  other,  still  preserving  some  sort  of  order, 
marched  by  way  of  Ruthven  to  Badenoch. 

Fourteen  colors,  two  thousand  three  hundred  muskets, 
and  all  tlieir  cannon  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English. 
The  loss  of  the  victors  in  killed  and  wounded  amounted  to 


316  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

three  hundred  and  ten  men,  that  of  the  Highlanders  to  a 
thousand.  No  quarter  was  given  to  the  stragglers  and 
fugitives  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English.  Their 
wounded  were  left  on  the  ground  till  the  following  day 
without  care  or  food,  and  the  greater  portion  of  them  were 
then  put  to  death  in  cold  blood,  with  a  cruelty  such  as  never 
before  or  since  disgraced  an  English  army. 

Some  were  beaten  to  death  by  the  soldiers  with  the 
stocks  of  their  muskets,  some  were  dragged  out  from  the 
thickets  or  caverns  to  which  they  had  crawled  and  shot, 
while  one  farm  building,  in  which  some  twenty  wounded 
men  had  taken  refuge,  was  deliberately  set  on  fire  and 
burned  with  them  to  the  ground.  In  any  case  such  con- 
duct as  this  would  have  inflicted  eternal  discredit  upon 
those  who  perpetrated  it;  but  it  was  all  the  more  unjusti- 
fiable and  abominable  after  the  extreme  clemency  and 
kindness  with  which  Prince  Charles  had,  throughout  the 
campaign,  treated  all  prisoners  who  fell  into  his  hands. 

Eonald  had  ridden  close  beside  Lord  George  Murray  as 
he  led  the  Highlanders  to  the  charge;  but  he  had,  as  they 
approached  the  first  English  line,  received  a  ball  in  the 
shoulder,  while  almost  at  the  same  instant  Malcolm's  horse 
was  shot  under  him.  Eonald  reeled  in  the  saddle,  and 
would  have  fallen  had  not  Malcolm  extricated  himself 
from  his  fallen  horse  and  run  up  to  him. 

"Where  are  you  hit,  lad?"  he  asked  in  extreme  anxiety. 

"In  the  shoulder,  Malcolm.  Help  me  off  my  horse,  and 
do  you  take  it  and  go  on  with  the  troops." 

"I  shall  do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  Malcolm  said.  "One 
man  will  make  no  difference  to  them,  and  I  am  going  to 
look  after  you." 

So  saying  ho  sprang  up  behind  Ronald,  and  placing  one 
arm  round  him  to  support  him,  took  the  reins  in  the  other 
and  rode  to  the  rear.  He  halted  on  rising  ground,  and  for 
a  short  time  watched  the  conflict. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  317 

"The  battle  is  lost,"  he  said  at  last.  "Lord  George's 
troops  are  in  utter  confusion.  The  Macdoualds  show  no 
signs  of  moving,  though  I  can  see  their  officers  are  urging 
them  to  charge.  Now,  Eonald,  the  first  thing  is  to  get 
you  oni  of  this,  and  beyond  the  reach  of  pursuit." 

So  saying  he  turned  the  horse  and  rode  away  from  the 
field  of  battle. 

"Does  your  shoulder  hurt  mnch?"  he  asked,  after  they 
had  gone  a  short  distance. 

"It  does  hurt  abominably,"  Eonald  said  faintly,  for  he 
•was  feeling  almost  sick  from  the  agony  he  was  suffering 
from  the  motion  of  the  hcrse. 

"I  am  a  fool,"  Malcolm  said,  "not  to  have  seen  to  it 
before  we  started.  I  can't  do  much  now;  but  at  least 
I  can  fasten  it  so  as  to  hurt  you  as  little  as  possible." 

He  took  off  his  scarf,  and  telling  Eonald  to  place  his 
arm  in  the  position  which  was  most  comfortable  to  him, 
he  bound  it  tightly  against  his  body. 

"That  is  better,  is  it  not?"  he  asked  as  he  again  set  the 
horse  in  motion. 

"Much  better,  Malcolm.  I  feel  that  I  can  go  on  now, 
whereas  before  I  could  not  have  gone  much  further  if  all 
Cumberland's  cavalry  had  been  close  behind.  How  far 
are  you  thinking  of  going?  I  don't  think  my  horse  can 
carry  double  much  further.  Poor  beast,  he  has  had  as 
short  rations  as  his  master,  and  was  on  the  move  all  last 
night." 

"No.  But  we  shall  not  have  to  make  a  very  long  jour- 
ney. The  English  marched  twelve  miles  before  they 
attacked  ns,  and  I  do  not  think  they  are  likely  to  closely 
pursue  far  to-night;  besides,  I  have  no  intention  of  riding 
now  that  you  are  strong  enough  to  sit  your  horse  alone, 
and  there  is  no  fear  of  immediate  pursuit.  I  think  that 
in  another  two  miles  we  shall  be  safe  from  any  fear  of  the 
English  cavalry  overatking  us,  for  we  shall  then  reach  a 


SIS  BONNIE  PRTNGE  CHARLIE. 

forest.     Once  iu  that  we  shall  be  safe  from  pursuit,  and 
shall  soon  be  in  the  heart  of  the  hills." 

On  reaching  the  forest  Malcolm  dismounted,  and  leading 
the  horse  turned  off  from  the  road.  Following  a  little 
trodden  path  they  were  soon  in  the  heart  of  the  forest, 
and  after  keeping  on  for  two  hours,  and  crossing  several 
hills,  he  stopped  by  the  side  of  a  stream. 

"We  are  perfectly  safe  here,"  he  said,  "and  can  sleep  as 
securely  as  if  we  were  in  a  palace." 

The  saddle  was  taken  off  and  the  horse  turned  loose  to 
graze.  Malcolm  then  removed  Ronald's  coat  and  shirt, 
bathed  the  wound  for  some  time  with  water,  cut  some 
pieces  of  wood  to  act  as  splints,  and  tearing  some  strips  off 
his  sash  bound  these  tightly. 

"The  ball  has  regularly  smashed  the  bone,  Ronald,  and 
■we  must  be  careful  to  keep  the  shoulder  in  its  proper  posi- 
tion or  you  will  never  look  square  again." 

"That  does  not  seem  very  important  to  me  just  at  pres- 
ent, Malcolm." 

"No.  Just  at  present  the  most  important  question  is 
that  of  getting  something  to  eat.  We  have  had  nothing 
to-day  and  not  much  yesterday,  and  now  that  we  are  no 
longer  in  danger  of  pursuit  one  begins  to  feel  one  is  hun- 
gry. You  stay  here  while  I  go  and  forage.  There  ought 
to  be  a  vihage  somewhere  among  the  hills  not  far  away." 

"Do  you  know  the  country,  Malcolm?" 

"I  never  came  by  this  path,  lad;  but  I  have  traveled 
pretty  well  all  over  the  Highlands,  and,  just  as  you  found 
to  be  the  case  in  Lancashire,  there  are  few  villages  I  do 
not  know.  I  will  first  pull  you  a  couch  of  this  dead 
bracken,  and  then  be  off;  an  hour's  sleep  will  do  you 
almost  as  much  good  as  a  meal." 

Ronald  lay  down  on  the  soft  couch  Malcolm  prepared 
for  him,  and  before  he  had  been  alone  for  a  minute  he  was 
fast  asleep. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE,  319 

The  sun  was  setting  when  he  awoke.  Malcolm  stood 
beside  him. 

"Here  is  supper,  lad.  Not  a  very  grand  one,  but  there's 
enough  of  it,  which  is  more  than  has  been  the  case  for 
some  weeks." 

So  saying  he  laid  down  by  Ronald's  side  a  large  loaf  of 
black  bread,  a  cheese  made  of  sheep's  milk,  and  a  bottle 
of  spirits. 

"The  village  is  five  miles  away,  which  is  farther  than  I 
expected.  However,  I  came  back  quicker  than  I  went, 
for  i  had  had  a  bowl  of  milk  and  as  much  bread  as  I  could 
eat.  I  found  the  place  in  a  state  of  wild  excitement,  for 
two  or  three  of  the  men  had  just  come  in  from  the  battle- 
field, and  brought  the  news  with  them.  They  are  all  for 
the  Stuarts  there,  and  you  would  be  well  entertained,  but 
there  is  sure  to  be  a  search  high  and  how,  and  you  would 
not  be  safe  in  any  village.  However,  a  lad  has  promised 
to  be  here  in  the  morning,  and  he  will  guide  us  to  a  lonely 
hut  in  the  heart  of  the  hills,  used  by  the  shepherds  in 
summer.     You  will  be  perfectly  safe  there. 

"It  is  about  three  miles  from  the  village,  he  said.  So 
I  can  go  down  two  or  three  times  a  week  and  get  food, 
and  learn  how  things  are  going  on.  The  Highlanders 
may  rally  again  and  make  another  fight  of  it;  but  I  hardly 
expect  they  will.  They  are  not  like  regular  troops,  whose 
home  is  naturally  with  their  colors,  and  who,  after  the 
first  rout,  try  to  rejoin  their  regiments.  There  is  no  dis- 
cipline among  these  Highlanders.  Each  man  does  as  he 
likes,  and  their  first  impulse  after  a  battle  is  to  make 
for  their  homes — if  it  is  a  victory,  to  carry  home  their 
spoil;  if  they  are  defeated,  for  rest  and  shelter.  At  any 
rate,  whether  they  gather  again  or  not,  you  will  have  to 
keep  perfectly  quiet  for  a  time.  When  your  shoulder  is 
perfectly  healed  we  can  act  according  to  circumstances, 
and  make  for  the  army  if  there  be  an  army,  or  for  the  sea- 
coast  if  there  is  not." 


320  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

Although  he  had  eaten  but  a  short  time  before,  Malcolm 
"Was  quite  ready  for  another  meal,  and  sitting  down  beside 
Eonald  he  joined  hira  in  his  assault  upon  the  black  bread 
and  cheese.  Then  he  collected  some  more  of  the  bracken, 
mixed  himself  a  strong  horn  of  whisky  and  water,  and  a 
much  weaker  one  for  Eonald,  after  which  the  two  lay 
down  and  were  soon  fast  asleep. 

They  were  awake  at  sunrise,  and  shortly  afterward  the 
lad  whom  Malcolm  hud  engaged  to  act  as  guide  made  his 
appearance.  The  horse  was  saddled,  Ronald  mounted, 
and  they  started  at  once  for  their  destination  among  the 
hills.  They  followed  the  path  which  Malcolm  had  taken 
the  afternoon  before  for  some  three  miles,  and  then  struck 
off  to  the  left.  Half  an  hour  took  them  out  of  the  forest, 
and  they  journeyed  for  an  hour  along  bare  hillsides,  until, 
lying  in  a  sheltered  hollow,  they  saw  the  hut  which  was 
their  destination. 

"They  are  not  likely  to  find  us  here,"  Malcolm  said 
cheerfully,  "even  were  they  to  scour  the  mountains.  They 
might  ride  within  fifty  yards  of  this  hollow  without  sus- 
pecting its  existence.  Where  are  we  to  get  water?"  he 
asked  the  lad  in  Gaelic. 

"A  quarter  of  a  mile  away  over  that  brow  is  the  head  of 
a  stream,"  the  lad  replied.     "You  cannot  well  miss  it." 

"That  is  all  right,"  Malcolm  said.  "I  don't  mind  car- 
rying up  provisions  or  a  bottle  of  spirits  now  and  then; 
but  to  drag  all  the  water  we  want  three  miles  would  be 
serious," 

The  door  of  the  hut  was  only  fastened  by  a  latch,  and 
they  entered  without  ceremony.  It  consisted  of  but  a 
single  room.  There  were  two  or  three  rough  wooden 
stools,  and  a  heap  of  bracken  in  one  corner.  Not  a  large 
amount  of  furniture,  but,  in  the  opinion  of  a  Highlander, 
amply  sufficient. 

"We  shall  do  here  capitally,"  Malcolm  said.     "Now, 


BONNIE  FRINGE  CHARLIE.  321 

what  do  you  think  about  the  horse,  Ronald?  Of  course 
he  might  be  useful  if  we  were  obliged  to  move  suddenly; 
but  we  have  no  food  to  give  him,  and  if  we  let  him  shift 
for  himself  he  will  wander  about,  and  might  easily  be  seen 
by  any  one  crossing  these  hills.  A  horse  is  always  a  prize, 
and  it  might  bring  troops  out  into  our  neighborhood  who 
would  otherwise  not  have  a  thought  about  coming  in  this 
direction. 

"I  quite  agree  with  you,  Ronald.  The  lad  had  better 
take  him  down  to  the  village,  and  give  him  to  the  head 
man  there.  He  can  sell  him,  or  keep  him,  or  get  rid  of 
him  as  he  likes.    At  any  rate  he  will  be  oif  our  hands." 


3;ea  BOJSNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE, 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

FUGITIVES. 

For  three  weeks  Ronald  and  Malcolm  remained  in  hid- 
ing in  the  hut  among  the  hills.  Every  two  or  three  days 
Malcolm  went  down  to  the  village  and  brought  back  food. 
He  learned  that  the  remains  of  the  army  at  Rnthven  had 
entirely  dispersed,  the  prince  himself  seeing  the  hopeless- 
ness of  any  longer  continuing  the  struggle.  Terrible  tales 
of  slaughter  and  devastation  by  Cumberland's  troops  cir- 
culated through  the  hills.  The  duke  had  fixed  his  head- 
quarters at  Fort  Augustus,  and  thence  his  troops  ravaged 
the  whole  country  of  the  clans  lately  in  insurrection. 
Villages  were  burned,  cattle  slaughtered,  women  subjected 
to  the  grossest  insult  and  ill-treatment,  and  often  wantonly 
elain,  and  the  fugitives  among  the  mountains  hunted  like 
wild  beasts,  and  slain  as  pitilessly  whenever  overtaken. 

Ronald's  arm  was  healing  fast.  Youth  and  a  good  con- 
stitution, and  the  care  and  attention  of  Malcolm,  aided 
perhaps  by  the  pure  mountain  air,  did  wonders  for  him. 
The  splints  had  proved  efficacious,  and  although  they  had 
jiot  yet  been  taken  off,  Malcolm  was  confident  that  the 
injury  would  be  completely  repaired.  One  morning  Mal- 
colm had  left  but  half  an  hour  for  the  village  when  he 
returned. 

"The  enemy  are  in  the  village,"  he  said.  "lean  see 
clouds  of  smoke  rising  in  that  direction.  We  had  better 
be  off  at  once.     They  will  be  scouring  all  the  hills  here. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  323 

as  they  have  done  elsewhere,  and  we  had  better  get  out  of 
the  neighborhood." 

There  was  no  packing  to  be  done,  and  taking  with  them 
•what  remained  of  the  food  Malcolm  had  last  brought, 
they  started  on  their  way.  They  made  first  for  the  spring 
from  which  they  had  drawn  their  water,  and  then  followed 
the  little  stream  on  its  way  down  the  hill,  as  it  flowed  in 
the  opposite  direction  to  the  village.  An  hour's  walking 
took  them  into  the  forest. 

"Before  we  go  further  let  ns  have  a  consultation,"  Mal- 
colm said.  "  We  are  safe  now  from  pursuit,  and  had  better 
settle  upon  what  course  we  intend  to  adopt.  Shall  we 
make  for  Glasgow,  and  lie  hid  there  until  things  blow  over 
a  little;  or  make  for  the  isles,  and  stay  there  until  we  get 
a  chance  of  being  taken  off  by  some  French  ship?  That 
is  what  they  say  the  prince  has  done;  and  indeed  as  there 
would  be  no  chance  of  his  getting  a  ship  on  the  east  coast, 
and  all  the  Lowlands  are  against  them,  he  is  certain  to 
have  made  for  the  isles.  The  Clanranalds  and  most  of 
the  other  islosmen  are  loyal  to  him,  and  would  receive  and 
shelter  him.  Skye  is  hostile,  but  elsewhere  he  will  be  safe, 
and  would  move  from  island  to  island  or  get  across  to  the 
mainland  by  night  if  the  pursuit  became  too  hot.  What 
do  you  say,  Eonald?" 

"I  would  not  try  Glasgow  unless  as  a  last  resource, 
Malcolm;  you  are  known  to  many  there,  and  as  I  was 
there  as  one  of  the  prince's  ofiScers  on  two  occasions  I 
might  easily  be  recognized.  You  may  be  sure  that  there 
is  a  very  strict  lookout  for  fugitives,  and  every  stranger 
who  enters  a  town  will  be  closely  examined.  After  some 
time,  when  Prince  Charles  and  the  principal  chiefs  and 
the  leaders  will  either  have  escaped  across  the  water  or 
been  hunted  dov/n,  things  will  calm  down;  but  at  present 
wo  must  not  try  to  pass  through  the  Lowlands." 

"it  ?,ny  rate  we  cannot  try  to  do  so  till  your  shoulder 


334  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

is  completely  healed,  and  you  can  use  your  arm  naturally; 
but  I  do  not  think  that  we  had  better  try  a)id  cross  to  the 
isles  just  at  present.  If  Prince  Charles  is  there,  or  is  be- 
lieved by  the  English  to  be  there,  the  search  will  be  so 
keen  that  every  stranger  would  be  hunted  down;  and 
although  the  Highlanders  might  risk  imprisonment  and 
death  for  the  prince  himself,  they  could  not  be  expected 
to  run  the  same  risk  for  any  one  else.  If  the  prince  escapes 
it  will  be  because  the  whole  population  are  with  him,  and 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  is  trying  to  throw  the  pur- 
suers oS  the  scent.  No,  I  think  we  should  be  safer  in 
Edinburgh  itself  than  in  the  isles.  We  will  make  a  shift 
to  live  as  we  can  for  a  month  or  so;  by  that  time  I  hope 
you  will  be  able  to  use  one  arm  as  well  as  the  other,  and 
we  will  then  boldly  go  down  into  the  Lowlands  in  our  old 
characters  as  two  drovers." 

"That  will  be  the  best  plan  no  doubt,"  Ronald  agreed; 
"the  difficulty  will  bo  the  getting  over  the  next  month." 

"We  shall  manage  that,"  Malcolm  said;  "fortunately 
you  have  still  got  some  money  left." 

"Yes,  1  have  over  fifty  pounds;  it  was  lucky  I  was  able 
to  draw  it,  as  we  returned  north,  from  the  man  I  left  it 
with  at  Carlisle." 

"  Yes,  and  you  wanted  to  give  it  back  to  the  treasury," 
Malcolm  said,  "and  would  have  done  it  if  I  had  not  almost 
quarreled  with  you  about  it,  saying  that  it  had  been  given 
you  for  a  certain  purpose,  that  you  had  carried  out 
that  purpose,  and  had,  therefore,  a  right  to  it,  and 
that  you  would  be  only  looked  upon  as  a  fool  if  yon 
offered  to  pay  it  back.  However,  there  it  is  now,  and 
lucky  it  is  you  have  got  it.  However  hard  the  times, 
however  great  the  danger,  a  man  will  hardly  starve  in 
Scotland  with  fifty  pounds  in  his  pocket;  so  now  we  will 
turn  our  faces  west,  and  make  for  the  head  of  one  of  the 
lochs;  there  are  plenty  of  fish  to  be  had  for  catching,  and 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  325 

with  them  and  a  little  oatmeal  and  a  bottle  or  two  of 
whisky  we  can  live  like  lords." 

They  walked  for  some  hours,  and  stopped  for  the  night 
in  the  hut  of  a  shepherd,  who  received  them  hospitably, 
but  could  give  them  but  little  food,  his  scanty  supplies 
being  almost  exhausted,  for,  as  he  told  them,  "the  hills 
are  full  of  fugitives,  and  those  who  come  all  cry  for  meal; 
as  for  meat,  there  is  no  want  of  it.  Men  won't  starve  as 
long  as  there  are  sheep  and  cattle  to  be  had  for  lifting 
them,  and  at  present  there  are  more  of  these  than  usual 
in  the  hills,  for  they  have  all  been  driven  up  from  the 
villages  lest  they  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  troopers; 
but  meal  is  scarce,  for  men  dare  not  go  down  to  the  vil- 
lages to  buy,  and  we  only  get  it  when  the  women  bring  it 
np  as  they  have  a  chance." 

In  the  morning  the  shepherd  gave  them  directions  as  to 
the  way  they  should  take,  and  a  few  hours  later  they  came 
down  upon  the  head  of  one  of  the  many  deep  inlets  on  the 
western  coast.  A  small  tishing-boat  stood  on  the  shore, 
but  they  dare  not  descend  into  this,  but  made  their  way 
to  the  point  where,  as  the  shepherd  had  told  them,  a 
stream  which  flowed  from  a  mountain  tarn  some  miles 
inland  made  its  way  down  into  the  sea. 

The  banks  were  thickly  wooded  for  some  two  miles  from 
its  outlet;  beyond  that  was  a  moorland  covered  with 
heather.  They  determined  to  encamp  near  the  npper 
edge  of  the  wood,  and  at  once  set  to  with  their  swords  to 
cut  down  branches  and  construct  a  hut.  This  was  com- 
pleted before  dusk,  and  Malcolm  then  started  for  the  vil- 
lage on  the  seashore.  Konald  besought  him  to  be  most 
careful. 

"There  is  likely,"  he  said,  "to  be  a  party  of  soldiers  in 
every  village  round  the  coast,  for  they  will  know  that  all 
the  chiefs  and  ofificers  would  be  making  for  the  sea.  Thg 
clansmen  have  only  to  remain  in  the  hills  nntil  this  perss* 


326  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

cntion  dies  ont,  and  then  go  quietly  home  again;  but  for 
the  leaders  the  only  hope  is  escai^e  by  sea." 

"I  will  be  careful,  lad,"  Malcolm  said.  "I  shall  not 
enter  the  village,  but  will  hang  about  in  its  outskirts  until 
I  come  across  some  one,  and  with  plenty  of  money  in  my 
pocket  it  is  hard  if  I  cannot  manage  to  get  a  bag  of  meal 
and  a  net,  even  if  the  place  is  full  of  Euglish  soldiers." 

Three  hours  later  Malcolm  returned  laden  with  a  sack 
containing  forty  pounds  of  meal,  a  jar  with  two  gallons  of 
whisky,  and  a  net. 

"  There,"  he  said  as  he  entered ;  "  we  can  do  for  a  month 
now,  if  needs  be.  There  is  a  party  of  militia  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  I  hear  the  whole  coast  is  closely  watched,  and 
there  are  a  number  of  English  cruisers  among  the  islands." 

"How  did  you  get  the  things?" 

"I  waited  till  a  woman  came  down  with  a  bundle  of 
fagots,  and  told  her  what  I  wanted.  She  said  at  first  it 
was  impossible;  but  when  I  said  I  was  prepared  to  pay 
well  she  altered  her  tone,  and  said  she  would  send  her 
husband  out  to  me.  He  soon  came,  and  after  some  bar- 
gaining he  agreed  to  bring  me  out  the  things  I  wanted  for 
three  pounds,  and  here  they  are.  I  see  you  have  got  a 
fire  alight,  so  we  will  make  some  cakes  at  once.  I  have 
brought  a  griddle  and  two  horns  with  me." 

The  next  morning  they  set  to  work  to  fish.  The  net 
was  stretched  across  the  lower  end  of  a  pool,  and  they 
then  stripped  and  waded  in,  splashing  and  throwing  stones 
as  they  went.  It  was  just  up  to  their  necks  in  the  deepest 
parts,  shallowing  to  two  feet  below.  When  they  reached 
the  net  they  found  two  fine  salmon  caught  there,  and  car- 
rying these  ashore  they  split  one  and  placed  it  above  the 
fire.  The  net  was  then  removed,  and  in  half  an  hour  they 
■were  sitting  down  to  a  breakfast  of  grilled  salmon  and  hot 
oatmeal  cakes,  which  Ronald  thought  the  most  delicious 
repast  he  had  ever  tasted. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  327 

For  three  weeks  they  remained  at  this  spot.  They  were 
not  always  aloue,  being  sometimes  joined  for  a  day  or  two 
by  other  fugitives,  who,  like  themselves,  were  wandering 
near  the  seacoast  seeking  escape.  These  seldom  stayed 
long,  for  it  was  felt  unsafe  to  keep  in  parties  of  more  than 
two  or  three  at  the  utmost.  Some  of  the  fugitives  were 
in  wretched  condition,  having  been  wandering  among  the 
moors  and  forests  for  weeks,  and  as  the  fishing  was  very 
successful,  Ronald  and  Malcolm  were  able  to  give  them  at 
parting  a  good  supply  of  smoked  salmon,  and  a  portion  of 
meal,  of  which  Malcolm  from  time  to  time  brought  a  fresh 
supply  up  from  the  village. 

The  people  there  knew  little  of  what  was  passing  in  the 
outer  world;  but  from  the  conversation  of  the  soldiers 
they  were  sure  that  Prince  Charles  had  so  far  escaped 
capture,  and  an  opinion  began  to  prevail  that  he  had  suc- 
ceeded in  making  his  escape  by  sea,  in  spite  of  the  vigilance 
of  the  English  cruisers. 

By  the  end  of  the  three  weeks  even  Malcolm  admitted 
that  Eonald's  wound  was  completely  cured.  Two  large 
blue  scars  showed  where  the  bullet  had  passed  through, 
and  beneath  this  could  be  felt  a  lump  where  the  broken 
bone  had  knitted  together,  and  this  would  in  time  become 
as  strong  as  the  rest  of  the  shoulder.  Malcolm's  splints 
had  done  their  duty,  and  the  eye  could  detect  no  difference 
between  the  level  or  width  of  the  two  shoulders.  Eonald 
could  move  his  arm  freely  in  all  directions,  and  except 
that  he  could  not  at  present  venture  to  put  any  strain 
Tipon  the  arm,  he  might  be  considered  as  perfectly  cured. 
They  determined,  therefore,  to  continue  their  way.  In 
the  first  place,  ho\>  ever,  it  was  necessary  to  procure  other 
clothes,  for  Eonald  was  still  in  uniform,  and  although 
Malcolm's  attire  was  not  wholly  military,  it  yet  differed 
materially  from  that  of  a  countryman., 

'^  We  shall  have  to  get  other  clothes  when  we  get  south," 


328  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

Malcolm  said;  "for  a  Highlander's  dress  would  be  looked 
upon  with  as  much  suspicion  in  Glasgow  as  would  that 
uniform  of  yours.  But  until  we  get  down  to  the  Low- 
lauds  the  native  garb  will  be  the  best.'^ 

Accordingly  he  paid  another  visit  to  the  village,  and 
with  the  utmost  difficulty  persuaded  the  man  he  had  before 
dealt  with  to  bring  him  two  suits  of  clothes,  such  as  were 
•worn  by  the  fishermen  there.  In  these,  although  Mal- 
colm's small  stock  of  Gaelic  would  betray  them  at  once 
for  other  than  they  seemed  to  the  first  clansman  who 
might  address  them,  they  could  pass  muster  with  any  body 
of  English  troops  they  might  meet  by  the  way. 

Before  starting  they  caught  and  smoked  as  many  salmon 
as  they  could  carry,  as  the  fishermen  of  the  coast  were  iu 
the  habit  of  exchanging  fish  for  sheep  with  their  inland 
ueighbors.  They  cut  each  a  short  pole,  and  slung  some 
fish  at  each  end,  and  then  placing  it  on  their  shoulder, 
started  on  their  way.  They  kept  along  the  hillside  until 
they  struck  the  track — for  it  could  scarcely  be  called  a 
road — leading  from  the  village  into  the  interior,  and  then 
boldly  followed  this;  for  the  difficulty  of  traveling  across 
the  hilly  and  broken  country  was  so  great  that  they  pre- 
ferred to  run  the  slight  extra  risk  of  keeping  to  the  road, 
feeling  certain  that  for  the  first  dny's  march  at  least  their 
appearance  and  the  fish  they  carried  would  answer  for 
themselves  with  any  body  of  troops  they  might  meet. 

Of  this,  however,  they  did  not  think  there  was  much 
chance.  The  authorities  would  have  long  since  learned 
the  futility  of  hunting  the  fugitives  among  the  hills,  and 
would  be  confining  their  efforts  to  the  seacoast.  They 
were  now  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  scene  of  the 
bloody  persecutions  of  Cumberland  and  Hawley,  and  al- 
though in  other  parts  of  Scotland  severe  measures  might 
be  adopted  asfainst  known  adherents  of  the  Stuarts,  it  was 
among  the  Highland  clans  only  that  savage  and  wholesale 
massacres  were  being  carried  into  eiTeot. 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  329 

Occasionally  in  the  course  of  the  clay's  walk  they  met 
with  clansmen  passing  along  the  road.  These  generally 
passed  with  a  brief  word  of  greeting  in  Gaelic.  One  or 
two  who  stopped  to  speak  recognized  at  once  by  Malcolm's 
accent  that  the  wayfarers  were  not  what  they  pretended  to 
be;  but  they  asked  no  questions,  and  with  a  significant 
smile  and  an  expression  of  good  wishes  went  on  their  way. 

At  the  village  where  they  stopped,  after  a  long  day's 
journey,  the  same  line  of  conduct  was  observed  toward 
them.  The  inhabitants  guessed  at  once  that  they  were  in 
disguise;  but  the  edicts  against  those  who  assisted  fugitive 
insurgents  were  so  severe  that  none  made  any  open  sign  of 
their  recognition.  They  paid  for  their  night's  lodging 
and  food  with  a  portion  of  their  fish,  which  they  were 
indeed  glad  to  get  rid  of. 

The  next  day  they  resumed  their  journey,  and  toward 
sunset  arrived  at  a  village  where  they  intended  to  sleep. 
As  they  entered  the  little  street  they  saw  a  party  of  Eng- 
lish cavalry,  who  had  apparently  but  just  arrived.  The 
men.  were  cleaning  their  horses,  and  an  oflScer  was  sitting 
on  a  bench  in  frout  of  the  principal  house  in  the  village; 
for  he  had  already  made  a  close  inspection  of  every  house 
in  the  village,  and  the  angry  faces  of  the  women  and  the 
sullen  looks  of  the  few  men  there  were  about  showed  how 
they  resented  the  disturbance  of  their  households. 

It  was  too  late  to  retreat,  and  Malcolm  and  Ronald 
walked  boldly  to  the  public-house  in  the  center  of  tha 
village.  The  officer  at  once  rose  and  walked  across  to 
him. 

"Who  are  you?"  he  asked;  "and  where  do  yon  coma 
from?" 

Malcolm  shook  his  head  and  said  in  Gaelic: 

"1  do  not  understand  English," 

"What  fools  these  people  arel"  the  ofScer  exclaimed. 
"Ho,  within  there!" 


330  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE, 

The  landlady  came  to  the  door. 

"  Do  you  speak  English  ?" 

"I  speak  a  little,"  the  woman  said. 

"Just  ask  these  men  who  they  are  and  where  they  come 
from." 

The  woman  asked  the  question  in  Gaelic,  and  Malcolm 
replied : 

"We  are,  as  you  see,  fishermen,  and  we  come  from 
Huish." 

As  he  spoke  there  was  a  slight  change  in  the  woman's 
face;  but  it  passed  away,  and  she  translated  Malcolm's 
answer  to  the  officer. 

"  But  that  is  forty  miles  away,"  the  officer  said.  "  What 
do  they  do  with  their  fish  at  this  distance  from  their 
home?" 

The  question  being  put  in  Gaelic  by  the  woman,  Mal- 
colm replied  that  owing  to  the  boats  being  all  seized  by 
the  soldiers,  and  trade  being  at  a  standstill,  they  could  no 
longer  make  a  living  at  home,  and  were  therefore  on  their 
way  to  Glasgow  to  ship  as  sailors.  They  were  carrying 
their  fish  with  them  to  pay  for  their  food  and  lodging  on 
the  way. 

The  story  was  probable  enough,  and  the  officer's  suspi- 
cion was  allayed. 

"They  are  fine-looking  fellows,  both  of  them,"  he  said 
to  himself  as  he  returned  to  his  bench.  "Father  and  son, 
I  suppose.  The  young  one  would  make  a  strapping  sol- 
dier. Like  enough  he  was  at  Culloden.  However,  thank 
goodness,  I  have  no  grounds  for  suspecting  or  detaining 
them.  I  am  sick  of  this  brutal  business  of  fugitive  hunt- 
ing. We  are  officers  and  not  butchers,  and  this  slaying  of 
brave  men  who  have  met  us  fairly  in  battle  is  a  disgrace  to 
the  British  name." 

Eonald  and  Malcolm  followed  the  woman  into  the  house. 
"I  am  ready  to  buy  some  of  your  fish,"  she  said  in  a 


Malcolm's  bribe  to  o'wi^in  supplies.— Paara  325. 

—Bonnie  Prince  Charlie, 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHAULIE.  S31 

loud  tone  of  voice  in  Gaelic,  "for  there  will  be  many  to 
feed  this  evening;  as  ray  house  is  fnll  of  soldiers  I  cannot 
take  you  in,  but  if  you  like  you  can  sleep  in  that  shed  over 
there.  I  can  cook  one  of  your  fish  for  you,  and  let  you 
have  some  black  bread;  but  that  is  all  I  can  do.  Now, 
how  much  do  you  want  for  the  fish?" 

Malcolm  named  a  low  price,  and  the  woman  took  three 
or  four  of  the  largest.  For  these  she  offered  him  the  price 
he  had  asked.  He  glanced  round,  and  seeing  that  they 
were  not  overlooked,  he  shook  his  head. 

"We  don't  want  money,"  he  said.  "We  are  well  pro- 
vided.    Many  thanks  for  keeping  our  secret." 

The  woman  nodded,  and  without  another  word  the  two 
went  out  and  sat  down  on  a  stone  bench  outside  until  the 
landlady  brought  out  a  platter  with  a  fish  and  some  black 
breail.  This  they  ate  where  they  sat.  Malcolm  then 
went  in  to  get  some  tobacco,  and  returned  with  his  pipe 
alight,  and  sat  with  Ronald  watching  with  apparent  inter- 
est the  operations  of  the  soldiers  until  night  closed  in. 
Then  they  retired  to  the  shed  the  landlady  had  pointed 
out,  and  found  that  a  large  bundle  of  freshly  gathered 
rushes  had  been  shaken  out  to  form  a  bed.  Carrying  in 
their  poles  with  their  now  diminished  load  of  fish,  they 
closed  the  door  and  threw  themselves  down  upon  the 
rushes. 

"  That  has  passed  off  well,"  Malcolm  said.  "  To-morrow 
we  will  only  go  a  mile  or  so  out  of  the  village  and  stop  in 
the  first  wood  we  come  to,  and  go  on  at  night.  Thirty 
miles  will  take  us  close  down  to  Dumbarton,  and  there  we 
must  manage  to  get  some  fresh  clothes. 

"  We  shall  be  able  to  leave  our  poles  behind  us,"  Ronald 
said,  "and  that  will  be  a  comfort.  Although  my  load  of 
fish  was  not  nearly  as  heavy  as  yours,  still  carrying  it  on 
one  shoulder  was  no  joke,  and  I  shall  be  heartily  glad  to 
get  rid  of  it." 


333  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

"I  shall  not  l)e  sorry  myself,"  Malcolm  said;  "but  there 
will  "be  no  occasion  to  waste  the  fish.  "We  shall  be  up  and 
away  loug  before  the  soldiers  are  stirring,  and  we  may  as 
well  hand  tbein  over  as  a  present  to  the  landlady." 

This  was  done,  and  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning 
they  were  upon  the  road  again.  After  an  hour's  walking 
they  stopped  iu  a  wood  till  evening  and  then  continued  on 
their  way  until  they  reached  Dumbarton,  where  they  threw 
themselves  down  beside  some  boats  drawn  up  upon  the 
shore,  and  slept  till  the  morning. 

They  then  boldly  entered  the  town,  and  as  their  garb 
was  similar  to  that  of  the  men  who  brought  down  the  fish 
caught  at  the  villages  on  the  coast,  no  attention  Avhatever 
•was  paid  to  them.  They  had  no  diSiculty  in  purchasing 
the  clothes  they  required,  and  carrying  them  out  of  the 
town  they  changed  in  the  first  retired  spot  they  reached, 
and,  as  two  Lov.land  drovers,  tramped  on  to  Glasgow. 
"With  their  bonnets  pulled  well  down  over  their  eyes  they 
entered  the  town.  Tliey  had  little  fear  of  discovery,  for 
none  would  be  likely  to  recognize  iu  Eonald  the  gayly- 
dresseJ  young  officer  of  Prince  Charles. 

As  to  Malcolm,  he  felt  safe  from  molestation.  He  was, 
of  course,  known  to  many  drovers  and  others,  but  they 
would  not  concern  themselves  with  what  he  had  been  doing 
since  they  last  s?\w  him,  and  even  had  they  noticed  him 
when  he  was  there  with  Ronald,  would  not  denounce  an 
old  comrade.  He  went,  therefore,  boldly  to  the  little  inn 
where  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  staying  when  in  the 
city. 

"Ah,  Malcolm,  is  it  yon,  man?"  the  landlord  said  as  ho 
entered.  "I  didna  think  o'  seeing  you  again.  I  thought 
it  likely  ye  were  laying  stili  and  stark  somewhere  out  oa 
the  rauirs.  Eh,  man,  you  are  a  foolish  fellow  to  be  mixing 
yourself  up  in  the  affairs  of  ithers." 

"I  have  done  with  it  now,  Jock,  for  good  and  all/* 


BONNIE  PRINVE  CHARLIE.  333 

Malcolm    said,    "and   am   going   back    to   my   old    trade 
agaiti." 

"I  think  you  are  a  fule  to  come  back  here  so  soon. 
There's  mouy  a  one  marked  ye  as  ye  rode  in  behind  that 
young  officer  of  the  priuce's,  and  if  they  denounced  you 
now  tliey  would  soon  clap  you  in  between  four  walls." 

"Hnots,  man!"  Malcolm  laughed;  "who  would  trouble 
themselves  about  a  body  like  me!" 

"There  are  bleudy  doings  up  i'  the  Hielands,"  the  land- 
lord said  gravely,  "if  a'  they  say  is  true." 

"It  is  true,  Jock,  more  shame  to  them;  but  they 
wouldn't  do  in  Glasgo\/  what  they  are  doing  there.  They 
are  hunting  down  the  clansmen  like  wild  beasts;  but  here 
in  the  Lowlands  they  will  not  trouble  themselves  to  ask 
who  v,'as  for  King  George  and  who  was  against  him,  except 
among  those  who  have  got  estates  they  can  confiscate." 

"Maybe  no,"  the  landlord  replied.  "Still,  Malcolm,  if 
you  will  take  my  advice  you  won't  show  yourself  much  in 
the  streets,  nor  your  friend  either,"  he  added  significantly. 
"You  may  be  safe,  but  the  citizens  are  smarting  yet  over 
the  requisitions  that  were  made  upon  them,  and  your  friend 
had  best  keep  in  his  room  as  long  as  ye  stay  here." 

Malcolm  nodded. 

"He  will  be  careful,  Jock,  never  fear.  We  shall  be  off 
again  as  soon  as  we  get  a  chance.  I  will  leave  him  here 
while  1  go  down  to  town  and  find  whether  there  is  a  herd 
starting  for  England.  If  there  is  we  will  go  with  it;  if 
not,  I  shall  try  and  get  a  passage  by  sea." 

Malcolm  could  not  hear  of  any  drove  of  cattle  going 
south.  The  troubles  had,  for  the  time,  entirely  put  a  stop 
to  the  trade.  After  it  was  dark  he  went  to  Andrew's. 
His  brother's  face  expressed  both  pleasure  and  dismay  at 
seeing  him. 

"Right  glad  I  am  to  see  you  have  got  safely  through  'i 
all,  Malcolm,  but  you  must  be  mad  to  show  yourself  hera 


334  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

again  at  present.  But  how  is  the  boy?  We  have  troubled 
sorely  over  him.  I  trust  that  he  too  has  come  safely 
through  it?" 

"Safe  and  souncl,  Andrew,  save  that  he  had  a  bullet 
through  his  shoulder  at  Oulloden;  but  he  is  right  enough 
again  now." 

"And  what  have  you  been  doing  ever  since?" 

"Curing  his  shoulder  and  fishing;"  and  Malcolm  briefly 
related  their  adventures  since  Culloden. 

"And  is  he  with  you  here  in  Glasgow,  Malcolm?  Surely 
you  are  not  mad  enough  to  bring  him  here,  where  he  is 
known  to  scores  of  people  as  one  of  the  rebel  officers!" 

"He  is  here,  sure  enough,"  Malcolm  said,  "and  safer 
than  he  has  been  for  some  time.  It  is  nearly  two  months 
since  Culloden,  and  people  are  beginning  to  think  of  other 
things,  except  in  the  Highlands,  where  those  fiends  Cum- 
berland and  Hawley  are  burning  and  slaying.  Ronald  is 
dressed  like  a  drover,  and  no  one  is  likely  to  recognize  him. 
However,  he  will  remain  within  doors.  And  now,  brother, 
I  want  you  to  take  us  a  passage  in  the  next  vessel  sailing 
for  London.  If  I  go  to  a  shipper  he  may  ask  questions, 
and  like  enough  it  may  be  necessary  to  get  passes  signed 
before  we  can  go  on  board." 

"Certainly  it  is,"  Andrew  said.  "A  strict  lookout  is 
kept  to  prevent  the  rebel  leaders  from  escaping,  and  no 
captain  of  a  ship  is  permitted  to  take  a  passenger  unless 
he  is  provided  with  a  pass,  signed  by  a  magistrate,  saying 
that  he  is  a  peaceable  and  well-known  person." 
•  "But  just  at  present  wo  are  both  peaceable  persons, 
Andrew,  and  we  can  certainly  claim  to  be  well-known 
citizens." 

"It  is  no  joking  matter,  Malcolm,  I  can  tell  you," 
Andrew  said  irritably;  "but  of  course  I  will  see  what  I 
can  do.  And  now  I  will  put  on  my  bonnet  and  come  with 
you  and  have  a  chat  with  Ronald.     It  will  not  do  to  bring 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  335 

hiiu  here  to-night,  but  we  must  arrange  for  him  to  come 
and  see  Janet  before  he  sails.  I  shall  not  tell  her  any- 
thing about  it  till  he  is  ready  to  start,  for  you  know  she  is 
very  particular,  and  I  am  afraid  I  shall  have  to  say  what 
is  not  quite  true  to  get  the  order.  I  can  sign  it  myself, 
but  it  must  have  the  signature  of  the  provost  too." 

So  saying  he  took  his  cap  and  accompanied  Malcolm  to 
the  lodging. 

"Stay  here  a  moment,  Andrew,"  Malcolm  said  when  he 
arrived  within  a  few  yards  of  the  little  inn.  "I  will  see 
that  there  is  no  one  drinking  within.  It  wouldna  look 
well  to  see  a  decent  bailie  of  the  city  going  into  a  liquor- 
shop  after  dark.  It  will  be  best  for  me  to  fetch  him  out 
here,  for  I  doubt  there's  any  room  where  yon  could  talk 
without  fear  of  being  overheard." 

Ronald,  who  was  sitting  with  his  cap  pulled  down  over 
his  eyes  as  if  asleep,  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  where  three 
or  four  drovers  were  smoking  and  talking,  was  called  out 
by  Malcolm. 

"lam  right  glad  to  see  yon  again,"  Andrew  Anderson 
said  heartily.  "Janet  and  I  have  passed  an  ill  time  since 
the  battle  was  fought.  Elspeth  has  kept  up  our  hopes  all 
along.  She  said  she  was  sure  that  you  were  alive,  quite 
downright  sure;  and  though  neither  Janet  nor  I  have 
much  faith  in  superstitions,  the  old  woman's  assertions 
that  she  should  assuredly  know  it  if  you  were  -dead  did 
somehow  keep  up  our  spirits.  Besides,  I  had  faith  in 
Malcolm's  knowledge  of  the  country,  and  knew  you  were 
both  famous  for  getting  into  scrapes  and  out  of  them,  so  I 
thought  that  if  neither  bullet  nor  saber  had  stretched  you 
on  the  moor  of  Culloden  you  would  manage  to  win  your 
way  out  of  the  trouble  somehow.  However,  I  think  yon 
are  pretty  safe  here.  The  bloody  doings  of  Cumberland 
have  shocked  every  Scotchman,  and  even  those  who  were 
strongest  against  the  Stuarts  now  cry  shame,  and  so  strong 


S36  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

is  the  feeling  that  were  the  prince  to  appear  now  "with  a 
handful  of  followers  I  believe  the  whole  country  would  rise 
in  his  favor.  So  deep  is  the  wrath  and  grief  at  the  red 
slaughter  among  the  Highlands  there  would  not  bo  many 
Hcotohmen  found  who  would  betray  a  fellow  Scot  into  the 
hands  of  these  butchers.  I  will  make  inquiry  to-morrow 
as  to  what  ships  are  sailing  and  will  get  you  a  passage  in 
the  first.  There  may  be  some  little  difficulty  about  the 
permit;  but  if  I  can't  get  over  it  we  must  smuggle  you  on 
board  as  sailors.  However,  I  don't  think  the  provost  will 
ask  me  any  questions  when  I  lay  the  permit  before  him  for 
his  signature.  He  is  heart  and  soul  for  the  king,  but, 
like  us  all,  he  is  sick  at  heart  at  the  news  from  the  north, 
and  would,  I  think,  shut  an  eye  if  he  saw  a  Jacobite  mak- 
ing his  escape.  And  now,  lad,  I  must  be  going  back,  for 
the  hour  is  getting  late  and  Janet  does  not  know  why  I 
am  away.  Come  to  us  to-morrow  evening  as  soon  as  the 
shop  closes.  Janet  and  Elspeth  will  be  delighted  to  see 
you,  and  we  will  have  a  long  talk  over  all  that  you  have 
gone  through." 

On  the  following  evening  Ronald  and  Malcolm  presented 
themselves  at  Andrew's  and  were  received  with  delight  by 
Elspeth  and  Mrs.  Anderson.  The  latter  had,  while  the 
rebellion  appeared  to  have  a  chance  of  success,  been  its 
bitter  opponent,  and  had  spoken  often  and  wrathfully 
ngainst  her  husband's  brother  and  Konald  embarking  in 
such  an  enterprise;  but  with  its  overthrow  all  her  enmity 
had  expired,  and  she  would  ha;i'e  been  ready  to  give  assist- 
ance not  only  to  them,  but  to  auy  other  fugitive  trying  to 
escape. 

"I  have  good  news  for  you,"  Andrew  said,  when  the 
first  greetings  were  over.  "A  vessel  sails  in  tlie  morning, 
and  I  have  taken  passages  for  you  in  it;  and  what  is  more, 
have  brought  your  permits.  I  went  to  the  provost  and 
said  to  him,  'Provost,  I  want  you  to  sign  these  permits 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  33? 

for  two  friends  of  mine  who  are  wanting  to  go  up  to 
London.' 

"'Who  are  they?'  said  he. 

"'They  are  just  two  drover  bodies,'  I  said.  He  looked 
at  me  hard. 

"'One  question,  Andrew.  I  know  how  yon  feel  just  at 
present.  You  are  a  loyal  man  like  myself,  but  we  all  feel 
the  same.  1  will  sign  your  permit  for  any  save  one.  Give 
me  your  word  that  neither  of  these  men  is  Charles  Stuart. 
I  care  not  who  they  may  be  beside,  but  as  a  loyal  subject 
of  King  George  I  canuot  aid  his  arch-enemy  to  escape.' 

"'I  give  yon  my  word,  provost,'  I  said.     'One  is ' 

"'I  don't  want  to  know  who  they  are,'  he  interrupted. 
*I  had  rather  not  know.  It  is  enough  for  me  that  yon 
give  me  your  word  that  neither  of  them  is  Charles  Stuart,' 
and  he  took  the  pen  and  signed  the  permit.  'Between 
ourselves,'  he  went  on,  'I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  that  the 
misguided  young  man  is  safe  across  the  water,  but  as  Pro- 
vost of  Glasgow  1  could  lend  him  no  help  to  go.' 

"'They  say  he.has  got  safe  away  already,'  I  said. 

"'1  think  not,  Andrew;  the  coast  has  been  too  closely 
watched  for  that.  The  young  man  is  hiding  somewhere 
among  the  isles,  among  the  Clanranalds  or  Macdonalds.  I 
fear  they  will  have  him  yet.  I  dread  every  day  to  get  the 
news;  but  I  hope  beyond  all  things,  that  if  they  do  lay 
hands  on  him  it  willbe  through  the  treachery  of  no  Scot.* 

"'I  hope  not,  provost,'  I  said.  'They  haven't  got  over 
throwing  it  in  our  teeth  that  we  sold  King  Charles  to 
Cromwell.'  So  we  just  shook  hands  and  said  good-by, 
and  here  is  the  permit." 

They  spent  a  long  evening  talking  over  the  past. 

"  I  wonder  if  I  shall  ever  see  you  again,  Eonald !"  Mrs. 
Anderson  said,  with  tears  in  her  eyes  as  they  rose  to  say 
good-by. 

"  You  need  not  fear  about  that,  Janet,  woman,"  her  hus- 


338  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

band  said.  "Ronald  and  Malcolm  aye  fall  on  their  legs, 
and  we  shall  -see  them  back  again  like  tvvo  bad  pennies. 
Besides,"  he  went  on  more  seriously,  "there  will  be  an 
end  of  these  savage  doings  in  the  north  before  long.  Loyal 
men  in  Scotland  are  crying  out  everywhere  against  them, 
and  the  feeling  in  England  will  be  just  as  strong  when 
the  truth  is  known  there,  and  you  will  see  that  before  long 
there  will  be  a  general  pardon  granted  to  all  except  the 
leaders.  Fortunately  Eonald  and  Malcolm  are  not  likely 
to  be  in  the  list  of  exceptions,  and  before  a  year  is  up  they 
will  be  able  to  come  back,  if  they  will,  without  fear  of  being 
tapped  on  the  shoulder  by  a  king's  officer." 

"I  shall  come  back  again  if  I  can,  you  may  be  sure," 
Eonald  said.  "Of  course  I  do  not  know  yet  what  my 
father  and  mother's  plans  may  be;  but  for  myself  I  shall 
always  look  npon  Scotland  as  my  home,  and  come  back  to 
it  as  soon  as  I  have  an  opportunity." 

"You  do  not  intend  to  stay  in  the  French  army?" 
"Certainly  not.  After  the  treatment  my  father  has 
received  I  have  no  inclination  to  serve  France.  The  chief 
reason  why  Scotchmen  have  entered  her  service  has  been 
that  they  were  driven  from  home,  and  that  they  looked  to 
France  for  aid  to  place  the  Stuarts  on  the  throne  again. 
Now  that  the  time  has  come,  France  has  done  nothing  to 
aid,  and  has  seen  the  Stuart  cause  go  down  without  strik- 
ing a  blow  to  assist  it.  I  consider  that  cause  is  lost  for- 
ever, and  shall  never  again  draw  my  sword  against  the 
house  of  Hanover.  Nor  have  I  had  any  reason  for  loving 
France.  After  living  in  a  free  country  like  Scotland  who 
could  wish  to  live  in  a  country  where  one  man's  will  is  all- 
powerful — where  the  people  are  still  no  better  than  serfs— 
where  the  nobles  treat  the  law  as  made  only  for  them — 
where,  as  in  my  father's  case,  a  man  may  not  even  marry 
according  to  his  own  will  without  incurring  the  risk  of  a 
life's  imprisonment.     No,  I  have  had  enough  of  France; 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  339 

and  if  ever  I  get  the  opportunity  I  shall  return  to  Scot- 
land to  live." 

The  next  morning  early  Eonald  and  Malcolm  embarked 
on  board  a  ship.  Their  permits  were  closely  scrutinized 
before  the  vessel  started,  and  a  thorough  search  was  made 
before  she  was  allowed  to  sail.  "When  the  officers  were 
satisfied  that  no  fugitives  were  concealed  on  board  they 
returned  to  shore,  and  the  vessel  started  on  her  voyage  for 
London. 


340  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

HAPPY    DAYS. 

On  arriving  in  Loudon,  after  ten  days'  voyage,  Ronald 
and  Malcolm  obtained  garments  of  the  ordinary  cut.  The 
one  attired  himself  as  an  English  gentleman,  the  other  iu 
a  garb  suitable  to  a  confidential  attendant  or  steward,  and 
after  a  stay  of  two  or  three  days  they  made  their  way  by 
coach  down  to  Southam.pton. 

Here  they  remained  for  a  week,  and  then  effected  a  bar- 
gain with  the  captain  of  a  fishing  lugger  to  set  them  on 
shore  in  France.  As  the  two  countries  were  at  war  this 
could  only  be  done  by  landing  them  at  night  at  some  quiet 
spot  on  the  French  coast.  The  lugger  cruised  about  a 
couple  of  days,  and  then,  choosing  a  quiet  night  when 
there  was  a  mist  on  the  water,  she  ran  in  as  closely  as  she 
dared,  then  the  boat  was  lowered,  and  Malcolm  and  Ronald 
were  rowed  to  shore  and  landed  a  few  miles  south  of 
Boulogne. 

When  it  was  light  they  made  their  way  to  a  village; 
here  but  few  questions  were  asked  them,  for  many  refugees 
from  Scotland  and  England  were  crossing  to  France.  As 
they  had  been  well  provided  with  funds  by  Andrew  they 
posted  to  Paris,  and  on  arriving  there  put  up  at  the  inn 
where  they  had  stopped  on  the  occasion  of  their  first  visit. 

"We  must  be  careful,"  Malcolm  said,  "how  we  stir  out 
until  we  know  how  things  stand.  The  first  thing  to  do  is 
to  find  out  whether  the  regiment  is  still  in  Paris." 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  341 

This  they  were  not  long  in  doing,  as  their  host  was  able 
to  inform  them  at  once  that  it  had  left  the  capital  several 
months  before,  and  on  comparing  dates  they  found  that 
its  departure  had  followed  within  a  day  or  two  that  of 
their  own  flight  from  Paris. 

"It  was  no  doubt  meant  as  a  punishment,"  Ronald  said, 
"on  Colonel  Hume  for  acting  as  my  second  in  that  affair 
with  the  duke.     I  hope  that  no  further  ill  befell  him." 

His  mind  was  set  easy  on  this  score  by  the  news  that 
Colonel  Hume  had  accompanied  his  regiment.  On  asking 
after  Marshal  Saxe  they  learned  that  he  was  away  on  the 
frontier,  where  he  had  been  carrying  on  the  war  with  great 
success,  Antwerp,  Mons,  Namur,  and  Charleroi  all  having 
been  captured. 

The  king  was  in  person  with  the  army.  This  being  the 
case  Ronald  saw  that  it  was  of  no  use  remaining  in  Paris, 
as  he  was  without  friend  or  protector  there,  and  he  dared 
not  rejoin  his  regiment  until  ho  learned  whether  the  king's 
anger  was  as  hot  as  ever.  He  therefore  started  at  once 
with  Malcolm  and  traveled  down  to  La  Grenouille. 

It  was  a  joyful  meeting  between  him  and  his  parents, 
■who  were  in  the  greatest  anxiety  respecting  him,  for  al- 
though he  had  written  several  times,  communication  was 
uncertain  owing  to  the  war,  the  only  chance  of  sending 
letters  being  by  such  French  vessels  as  arrived  at  Scottish 
ports  after  running  the  gauntlet  with  English  cruisers. 
Some  of  these  had  been  captured  on  the  way  back,  and 
only  two  of  Ronald's  letters  had  arrived  safely.  The  last 
of  these  had  been  written  a  few  days  after  the  battle»of 
Falkirk,  and  Ronald  had  then  stated  that  he  no  longer 
had  any  hope  of  the  final  success  of  the  expedition.  They 
had  received  the  news  of  the  defeat  at  Culloden,  and  had 
since  passed  nearly  three  mouths  of  painful  snspersse,  re- 
lieved only  by  the  arrival  of  Ronald  himself.  He  found 
his  mother  looking  well  and  happy;  his  father  had  some- 


343  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

■what  recovered  from  his  rheumatism,  and  looked  a  younger 
man  by  some  years  than  when  he  saw  him  last. 

"He  will  recover  fast  now,"  the  countess  said;  "but  he 
has  worried  about  you  night  and  day,  Eonald.  I  hope 
that  you  will  stay  with  us  for  a  time.  We  have  seen  so 
little  of  you  yet." 

Ronald  learned  that  a  few  days  after  his  flight  an  officer 
had  appeared  at  the  chateau  with  the  royal  order  for  his 
arrest,  and  it  was  from  him  that  his  parents  had  first 
learned  the  news  of  his  duel  with  the  Duke  of  Chateau- 
rouge  and  its  result. 

"I  could  hardly  believe  my  ears,  Eonald,"  his  father 
said;  "to  think  that  my  son,  scarce  a  man  yet,  should 
have  killed  in  fair  fight  one  of  the  first  duelists  in  France. 
It  seemed  almost  incredible.  Malcolm  told  me  that  you 
were  a  first-rate  swordsman,  but  this  seemed  extraordinary 
indeed.  The  officer  remained  here  for  three  days,  and 
then,  convinced  that  you  had  not  made  in  this  direction, 
left  us.  A  day  or  two  afterward  we  received  the  letter 
you  wrote  us  from  Nantes,  saying  that  you  were  starting 
for  Scotland  with  the  prince.  I  grumbled  sorely  over  my 
rheumatism,  I  can  tell  you,  which  prevented  my  drawing 
my  sword  once  more  for  the  Stuarts;  but  it  was  no  use 
my  thinking  of  it." 

"No,  indeed,"  the  countess  said;  "and  I  can  tell  you, 
Ronald,  that  had  he  been  ever  so  well  I  should  not  have 
let  him  go.  After  being  separated  from  one's  husband  for 
sixteen  years  one  is  not  going  to  let  him  run  off  to  figure 
as  a  knight-errant  at  his  pleasure." 

"Your  friend.  Colonel  Hume,  wrote  to  us,"  the  colonel 
said  with  a  smile  at  his  wife's  words,  "giving  us  details-of 
ihe  duel,  and  speaking  of  your  conduct  in  the  highest 
terms.  He  said  that  at  present  the  king  was  furious;  but 
that  he  hoped  in  time  he  would  get  over  it.  Colonel  Hume 
btul  seen  Marshal  Saxe,  who  had  promised  on  the  first  op- 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  343 

portnnity  to  speak  to  the  king,  and  to  open  his  eyes  to  the 
character  of  his  late  favorite,  and  to  tell  him  of  the  attempts 
which  the  duke  had  made  to  prevent  the  royal  orders  for 
our  release  being  carried  out,  and  to  remove  you  by  assas- 
sination. Two  months  ago  he  wrote  again  to  ns  from 
Antwerp,  which  had  just  fallen,  saying  that  Marshal  Saxe 
had  bid  him  tell  ns  that  the  king  was  in  a  much  more 
favorable  disposition,  and  that  he  had  taken  the  opportu- 
nity when  his  majesty  was  in  a  good  humor  to  tell  him 
the  whole  circumstances  of  your  journey  with  the  orders 
for  our  release,  and  that  in  consequence  the  king  had 
made  other  inquiries  respecting  the  late  duke,  and  had 
acknowledged  that  he  had  been  greatly  deceived  as  to  his 
character.  At  the  same  time,  as  your  name  had  been  by 
the  king's  order  removed  from  the  list  of  officers  of  the 
Scottish  Dragoons  immediately  after  the  duel,  he  recom- 
mended that  should  you  return  to  France  you  should  not 
put  yourself  in  the  king's  way  or  appear  at  all  in  public 
for  the  present. 

"The  marshal,"  Colonel  Hume  wrote,  "has  made  your 
affair  a  personal  matter,  and  he,  as  is  his  habit  in  war, 
will  persevere  until  he  succeeds.  His  reputation  and  in- 
fluence are  higher  than  ever,  and  are  daily  rising;  be 
assured  that  when  the  campaign  is  over,  and  he  reaps  all 
the  honors  to  which  he  is  entitled,  he  will  push  your  claim 
as  before." 

In  the  first  week  in  October  the  suspense  from  which 
they  had-  suffered  as  to  the  fate  of  Prince  Charles  was  re- 
lieved by  the  news  that  on  the  29th  of  September  he  had 
safely  landed  at  the  little  port  of  Roscoff  near  Morlaix. 
He  made  his  way  to  Paris,  and  Eonald,  accompanied  by 
Malcolm,  took  horse  at  once  and  rode  there  to  pay  his  re- 
spects to  the  prince,  and  congratulate  him  on  his  escape. 
The  prince  received  him  witli  great  warmth  and  cordiality, 
and  from  his  own  lips  Eonald  learned  the  story  of  his 
advontnres. 


S44  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

He  had,  eight  days  after  CullodeD,  embarked  for  the 
cluster  of  islets  to  which  the  common  name  of  Long  Island 
is  applied.  After  wandering  from  place  to  place  and  suf- 
fering greatly  from  hunger,  he  gained  Sonth  Uist,  where 
his  wants  were  relieved  by  Clanranald.  The  English,  sus- 
pecting or  learning  that  he  was  there,  landed  two  thousand 
men  ou  the  island,  and  commenced  an  active  search  for 
him.  He  must  have  been  detected  had  not  Flora  Mac- 
donald— -stepdaughter  of  a  captain  in  a  militia  regiment 
which  formed  part  of  the  troops  who  had  landed— upon 
being  appealed  to  by  Lady  Clanranald,  nobly  undertaken 
to  save  him. 

She  obtained  from  her  stepfather  a  passport  to  proceed 
to  Skye  with  a  man-servant  and  a  maid.  Charles  was 
dressed  in  female  clothes,  and  passed  as  Betty  Bourk, 
while  a  faithful  Highlander,  Neil  M'Eachan,  acted  as  her 
servant.  They  started  at  night  in  an  open  boat,  and  dis- 
embarked in  Skye.  Skye  was  ever  a  hostile  country,  as 
its  chief.  Sir  Alexander  Macdonald,  who  had  at  first 
wavered,  was  now  a  warm  supporter  of  the  Hanoverians, 
and  was  with  the  Duke  of  Cumberland.  Nevertheless, 
Flora  appealed  to  his  wife.  Lady  Margaret,  a  daughter  of 
the  Earl  of  Eglinton,  and  informed  her  that  her  attendant 
was  Prince  Charles  in  disguise.  Lady  Margaret  nobly  re- 
sponded to  her  appeal.  Her  own  house  was  full  of  militia 
officers,  and  she  intrusted  Charles  to  the  charge  of  Mac- 
donald of  Kingsburgh,  her  husband's  kinsman  and  factor, 
who  took  the  party  to  his  house. 

The  next  day  Charles  took  leave  of  Flora  Macdonald 
with  warm  expressions  of  gratitude,  and  passed  over  to 
the  Isle  of  Rasay,  in  the  disguise  of  a  male  servant. 
Thence  he  made  his  way  to  the  mainland,  where  ou  laud- 
ing he  was  compelled  to  lie  in  concealment  for  two  days 
cooped  up  within  a  line  of  sentries.  After  many  dangers 
he  took  refuge  in  a  mountain  cave  inhabited  by  seven  rob- 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  345 

bers,  who  treated  him  with  the  greatest  kindness,  and 
supplied  his  wants  for  the  three  weeks  he  remained  with 
them;  after  many  other  adventures  he  joined  his  faithful 
adherents,  Chiny  and  Lochiel,  who  were  in  hiding  in  a  re- 
treat on  the  side  of  Mount  Renalder,  and  here  he  lived  in 
comparative  comfort  until  he  heard  that  two  French  ves- 
sels under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Warren  of  Dillon's 
regiment  had  anchored  in  Lochnanuagh. 

Traveling  by  night  he  made  his  way  to  that  place,  and 
embarked  on  the  20th  of  September,  attended  by  Lochiel, 
Colonel  Eoy  Stuart,  and  about  a  hundred  other  fugitives 
who  had  learned  of  the  arrival  of  the  French  vessels.  It 
was  almost  precisely  the  spot  at  which  he  had  disembarked 
fourteen  months  before.  A  fog  concealed  the  vessel  as 
she  passed  through  the  British  fleet  lying  to  intercept  her, 
and  they  reached  Eoscofl  after  a  nine  days'  voyage. 

Such  was  the  tale  which  Prince  Charles  told  to  Eonald. 
He  had  after  Culloden  entirely  recovered  his  high  spirits, 
and  had  borne  all  his  fatigues  and  hardships  with  the 
greatest  cheerfulness  and  good  humor,  making  light  of 
hunger,  fatigue,  and  danger.  Ronald  only  remained  two 
days  in  Paris,  and  then  returned  home. 

In  October  the  campaign  of  Flanders  ended  with  the 
complete  defeat  of  Prince  Charles  of  Lorraine  at  Eancaux, 
and  Marshal  Saxe  returned  to  Paris,  where  he  was  received 
with  enthusiasm  by  the  population.  The  royal  residence 
of  Chambord  was  granted  him  for  life,  and  he  was  pro- 
claimed marshal-general  of  the  king's  armies.  A  fortnight 
later  Colonel  Leslie  received  a  letter  from  him  saying  that 
he  had  received  his  majesty's  command  that  he  with  the 
countess  and  his  son  should  present  themselves  in  Paris, 
and  that  he  was  happy  to  say  that  the  king's  disposition 
was  most  favorable.  They  set  off  at  once.  On  their 
arrival  there  they  called  upon  Marshal  Saxe,  who  greeted 
the  colonel  as   an   old  friend,   and  refused  to  listen  to 


346  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

the  warm  expression  of  gratitude  of  Leslie  and  the 
countess. 

"Say  nothing  about  it,  madam,"  he  exclaimed.  "Your 
son  won  my  heart,  and  I  was  only  too  glad  to  be  of  service 
to  him  and  my  old  comrade  here.  What  is  the  use  of  a 
man  winning  victories  if  he  cannot  lend  a  helping  hand  to 
his  friends!" 

The  next  day  they  went  down  to  Versailles,  where  Mar- 
shal Saxe  presented  them  to  the  king  in  a  private  audience. 
Louis  received  them  graciously. 

"I  fear,  countess,  that  you  and  your  husband  have  been 
treated  with  some  harshness;  but  our  royal  ear  was  de- 
ceived by  one  in  whom  we  had  confidence.  Your  husband 
and  yourself  were  wrong  in  marrying  without  the  consent 
and  against  the  will  of  your  father,  and  such  marriages 
cannot  be  permitted;  but  at  the  request  of  Marshal  Saxe, 
who  has  done  so  much  for  France  that  I  cannot  refuse 
anything  he  asks,  I  have  now  consented  to  pardon  and 
overlook  the  past,  and  have  ordered  my  chancellor  to  pre- 
pare an  order  reinstating  you  in  all  the  possessions  and 
estates  of  the  countess,  your  mother.  I  hope  that  I  shall 
often  see  you  together  with  your  husband  and  son,  both  of 
whom  have  done  good  service  as  soldiers  of  France,  at  my 
court;  and  now  that  I  see  you,"  he  said  with  a  gracious 
smile,  "I  cannot  but  feel  how  great  a  loss  our  court  has 
suffered  by  your  long  absence  from  it." 

Upon  leaving  the  king's  private  chamber  and  entering 
the  great  audience-hall  Colonel  Hume  came  up  and  grasped 
the  hand  of  his  old  friend,  and  was  introduced  by  him  to 
his  wife;  while  many  of  the  courtiers,  who  were  either 
connections  or  friends  of  the  family  of  the  couritess,  also 
gathered  round  them,  for  the  news  that  she  was  restored 
to  royal  favor  had  spread  quickly.  The  conutess  hnew 
how  small  wsis  the  real  value  of  such  advances,  but  she  felt 
that  it  was  best  for  her  husband  and  son's  sake  to  receive 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  347 

them  amicably.  For  a  few  weeks  they  remained  in  Paris, 
taking  part  in  the  brilliant  fetes  which  celebrated  the  suc- 
cess of  the  French  arms,  and  they  then  retired  to  the 
handsome  chateau  which  was  now  the  property  of  the 
countess. 

Here  they  lived  quietly  for  two  years,  making  occasional 
visits  to  Paris.  At  the  end  of  that  time  Eonald  received 
a  letter  from  Andrew  Anderson,  to  whom  he  had  written 
several  times  since  his  return  to  France.  He  told  him 
that  he  had  just  heard  that  Glenlyon  and  the  rest  of  the 
property  which  had  been  confiscated  after  the  rising  of 
1715  was  for  sale.  It  had  been  bestowed  upon  a  neigh- 
boring chief,  who  had  been  active  in  the  Hanoverian  cause. 
He  was  now  dead  without  leaving  issue,  and  his  wife,  an 
English  lady,  was  anxious  to  dispose  of  the  property  and 
return  to  England. 

"1  do  not  know  whether  your  father  is  disposed  to  buy 
back  his  estates,"  Andrew  wrote,  "  but  I  hear  that  a  general 
amnesty  will  very  shortly  be  issued  to  all  who  took  part  in 
the  insurrection,  saving  only  certain  notorious  persons. 
The  public  are  sick  of  bloodshed.  There  have  been  up- 
ward of  eighty  trials  and  executions,  besides  the  hundreds 
who  were  slaughtered  in  the  Highlands.  Besides  this, 
thousands  have  been  transported.  But  public  opinion  is 
now  so  strong,  and  persons  of  all  shades  of  politics  are  so 
disgusted  with  the  brutal  ferocity  which  has  been  shown, 
that  it  is  certain  government  will  ere  long  be  compelled  to 
pass  an  act  of  amnesty.  In  the  meantime,  if  it  should  be 
your  father's  wish  to  purchase  the  property,  I  can  buy  it 
in  my  name.  The  price  asked  is  very  low.  The  income 
arising  from  it  is  stated  to  be  about  four  hundred  a  year, 
and  four  thousand  pounds  will  be  accepted  for  it,  I  un- 
derstand that  as  the  late  owner  took  no  part  in  the  insur- 
rection, and  joined  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  whan  he 
came  north,  the  property  is  in  good  condition  and  the 


348  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

clansmen  have  escaped  the  harrying  which  befell  all  those 
"who  sided  with  Charles  Stuart." 

Ronald  at  once  laid  the  letter  before  his  father,  who, 
after  reading  it  through,  passed  it,  without  a  word,  to  the 
countess. 

"  Yon  would  like  to  return  to  Scotland?"  she  asked  qui- 
etly, when  she  had  read  it.  "Do  not  hesitate  to  tell  me, 
dear,  if  you  would.  It  is  no  matter  to  me  whether  we  live 
there  or  here,  so  long  as  T  have  you  and  Eonald  with  me." 

Colonel  Leslie  was  silent. 

"For  Eonald's  sake,"  she  went  on,  "perhaps  it  would 
be  better  so.  You  are  both  of  opinion  that  the  cause  of 
the  Stuarts  is  Jost  forever,  and  he  is  determined  that  he 
will  never  again  take  part  in  any  risiug.  He  does  not  care 
again  to  enter  the  French  array,  nor,  indeed,  is  there  any 
reason  why  Scotchmen  should  do  so,  now  that  they  no 
longer  look  for  the  aid  of  the  King  of  France  to  set  the 
Stuarts  on  the  English  throne.  I  myself  have  no  ties 
here.  My  fifteen  years  of  seclusion  have  separated  me 
altogether  from  my  family,  and  although  they  are  willing 
enough  to  be  civil  now,  I  cannot  forget  that  all  those  years 
they  did  nothing  toward  procuring  our  liberty.  The  king 
has  so  far  given  way  that  he  has  restored  me  my  mother's 
estates,  but  it  was  only  because  he  could  not  refuse  Marshal 
Saxe,  and  ho  does  not  like  French  lands  to  be  held  by 
strangers;  therefore  I  feel  sure,  that  were  I  to  ask  his  per- 
mission to  sell  my  estates  and  to  retire  with  you  to  Scot- 
land he  would  at  once  grant  my  request." 

"No,  Am^lie,  it  would  not  be  fair  to  accept  your  gen- 
erous offer." 

"But  it  would  be  no  sacrifice,"  she  urged.  "I  have 
little  reason  to  love  France,  and  I  can  assure  you  I  should 
be  just  as  happy  in  your  country  as  in  my  own." 

"  But  it  would  be  exile,"  the  colonel  said. 

"No  more  exile  than  you  and  Eonald  are  suffering  hereu 


BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE.  349 

Besides,  I  suppose  we  should  get  as  many  comforts  in 
Scotland  as  here  in  France.  Of  course  our  estates  here 
will  fetch  a  sum  many  times  larger  than  that  which  would 
purchase  Glenlyon,  and  we  need  not  live  all  our  time 
among  the  mountains  you  tell  me  of,  but  can  go  sometimes 
to  Edinburgh  or  even  to  Loudon.  Even  if  you  did  not  wish 
it,  I  should  say  it  would  be  far  better  to  do  so  for  Eonald's 
sake.  You  have  lived  so  long  in  France  that  you  may 
have  become  almost  a  Frenchman ;  but  it  is  not  so  with 
Konald." 

It  was  not  until  two  or  three  days  later  that  the  discus- 
sion came  to  an  end  and  the  countess  had  her  way.  Colo- 
nel Leslie  had  resisted  stoutly,  but  his  heart  beat  at  the 
thought  of  returning  to  the  home  of  his  youth  and  ending 
his  days  among  the  clansmen  who  had  followed  him  and 
his  fathors  before  him.  Eonald  had  taken  no  part  what- 
ever in  the  debate,  but  his  mother  read  in  his  eyes  the 
delight  which  the  thought  of  returning  to  Scotland  occa- 
sioned him.  As  soon  as  tliis  was  settled  they  went  to 
Paris,  and  as  the  countess  had  foreseen,  the  king  was 
pleased  at  once  to  give  his  consent  to  her  disposing  of  her 
lands  on  his  approval  of  the  purchaser. 

No  difficulty  was  experienced  on  this  score,  as  a  noble 
whose  lands  adjoined  her  own  oSered  at  once  to  purchase 
them.  As  soon  as  this  was  arranged  instructions  were  sent 
to  Andrew  to  purchase  not  only  the  Glenlyon  property, 
but  the  other  estates  of  its  late  owner. 

In  due  time  a  letter  was  received  from  Andrew  saying 
that  he  had  arranged  for  tJie  purchase  of  the  v/hole  for  the 
sum  of  thirteen  thousand  pounds,  and  the  money  was  at 
once  sent  over  through  a  Dutch  banking-house.  Very 
shortly  afterward,  at  the  end  of  1747,  the  act  of  general 
amnesty  was  passed,  and  as  Ronald's  name  was  not  among 
those  excluded  from  its  benefits  they  at  once  prepared  to 
return  to  Scotland.     The  jcurney   was  fucilitated  by  the 


350  BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE. 

fact  that  shortly  after  the  passing  of  the  act  peace  waa 
concluded  between  England  and  France. 

Accompanied  by  Malcolm,  Colonel  Leslie,  the  conutess, 
and  Ronald  sailed  for  Scotland.  The  colonel  and  his  wife 
remained  in  Edinburgh  while  Ronald  and  Malcolm  went 
to  Glasgow,  -where  Andrew  had  in  readiness  all  the  papers 
transferring  the  estates  purchased  in  his  name  to  Colonel 
Leslie,  who  shortly  afterward  journeyed  north  with  his 
■wife  and  son  and  took  possession  of  his  ancestral  home 
amid  the  enthusiastic  delight  of  the  clansmen,  who  had 
never  ceased  to  regret  the  absence  of  him  whom  they  con- 
sidered as  their  rightful  chief. 

There  is  little  more  to  tell.  Colonel  Leslie  lived  but  a 
few  years  after  returning  home,  and  Ronald  then  succeeded 
him  as  Leslie  of  Gleulyon.  He  had  before  this  married 
the  daughter  of  a  neighboring  gentleman,  and  passed  his 
time  between  Glenlyou  and  Edinburgh,  varied  by  an  occa- 
sional visit  to  London. 

The  countess  never  regretted  her  native  land,  but, 
happy  in  the  affection  of  her  son  and  daughter-in-law  and 
their  children,  lived  happily  with  them  until  nearly  the 
end  of  the  century.  Malcolm  remained  the  faithful  and 
trusty  friend  of  the  family;  and  his  brother  and  his  wife 
■were  occasionally  persuaded  to  pay  a  visit  to  Glenlyon, 
where  their  kindness  to  Ronald  as  a  child  was  never  for- 
gotten. Happily  the  rising  of  '45  was  the  last  eifort  on 
behalf  of  the  Stuarts.  Scotland  accepted  the  decision  as 
final,  and  the  union  between  the  two  countries  became 
close  and  complete.  Henceforth  Scotchmen  went  no 
longer  to  fight  in  the  armies  of  France,  but  took  service 
in  that  of  their  own  country,  and  more  than  one  of  Ron- 
ald's grandsons  fought  stoutly  in  Spain  under  Wellington. 

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Sir  John  Lubbock. 

71  Prince   Charlie's    Daughter. 

By  Charlotte  M.  Braeme. 

72  Prince     of     the     House    of 

David,  The.     By  Rev.  J. 
H.  Ingraham, 

73  Prisoners  and  Captives.     By 

Henry  Seton  Merriman. 

74  Q  u  e  e  c  h  y.      By  Elizabeth 

Wetherell. 

75  Queenie's  Whim.     By  Rosa 

N.  Carey. 

76  Queen  of  the  Isle,  The.     By 

Mrs.  May  Agnes  Fleming 
TJ  Quo   Vadis.     Henryk   Sien- 
kiewicz. 

78  Rival    Brothers,  The.      By 

Mrs.  May  Agnes  Fleming 

79  Romance  of  Two  Worlds,  A. 

By  Marie  Corelli. 

80  Rosamond.       By    Mary    J. 

Holmes. 

81  Rose   Mather.    By  Mary  J. 

Holmes. 

82  Samantha  at  Saratoga.     By 

Josiah  Allen's  Wife. 

83  Scarlet     Letter,     The,      By 

Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 

84  Self  -  Raised.       Sequel     to 

"Ishmael."     By  Mrs.  E. 
D.  E.  N.  Southworth. 

85  She  Fell  in  Love  with  Her 

Husband,  By  E.Werner. 

86  Son  of  Hagar.  A.     By  Hall 

Caine. 


87  Stepping  Heavenward.    By 

Mrs.  E.  Prentiss. 

88  Story  of  an   African  Farm, 

The.     By  Ralph  Iron. 

89  Sunshine    and    Roses.      By 

Charlotte  M.  Braeme, 

90  Sweet    C  y  m  b  e  1  i  n  e.     By 

Charles  Garvice. 

91  Tempest  and  Sunshine.    By 

Mary  J.  Holmes. 

92  Terrible  Case,  A.     By  Etta 

W.  Pierce. 

93  Thelma.    By  Marie  Corelli. 

94  Tried  for  Her  Life.     Sequel 

to  "Cruel  as  the  Grave." 
By  Mrs.  Southworth. 

95  'Twixt  Smile  and  Tear.    By 

Charles  Garvice. 

96  Uncle    Tom's     Cabin.     By 

Harriet  Beecher  Stowe. 

97  Vendetta.    By  Marie  Corelli. 

98  Vicomte  de  Bragelonne.The. 

By  Alexander  Dumas. 

99  Vivia ;    or,    The    Secret    of 

Power.      By  Mrs.  E.  D. 
E.  N.  Southworth. 

100  Wee  Macgreegor.      By  J. 

J.  Bell. 
loi  Wee   Wifie.     By  Rosa  N. 
Carey. 

102  Wide,    Wide  World,  The. 

By  Elizabeth  Wetherell. 

103  Willful     Maid,     A.       By 

Charles  Garvice. 

104  With  Fire  and  Sword.  Vol- 

ume I.  By  H.  Sienkiewicz 

105  With  Fire  and  Sword.   Vol- 

ume II.  ByH. Sienkiewicz 

106  Woman  in  White,  The.  By 

Wilkie  Collins. 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price 
by  the  publishers,  The  Federal  Book  Company,  New  York. 


Jack  Harkaway  Library, 

An  Entirely  New  Edition  from  New  Plates. 
Revised  and  Re-edited.    Handsomely  Bound  to  Cloth. 

The  anthor,  BRACEBRIDGE  HEMYNG,  is  conceded  by 
all  who  know  his  works  to  be  the  most  entertaining  writer  ot 
stories  for  boys  the  world  has  ever  known.  He  takes  Jack 
and  his  companions  on  tours  of  adventure  all  over  the  worldj 
and  every  line  he  has  written  about  them  is  just  teeming  witt 
humor,  life  and  thrilling  action. 

No  better  stories  of  adventure  in  school  and  out,  on  kmS 
mad  sea,  have  ever  been  written. 

Clotti.    12mo.    Price,  50  Cents  each,  postpaid. 


JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 

JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 
JACK 


HAEKAWAY'S    SCHOOL    DAYS. 

HARKAWAY'3    FRIENDS. 

HARKAWAY    AFTER    SCHOOL    DAYS. 

HARKAWAY    AFLOAT    AND    ASHORB= 

HARKAWAY    AMONG    THE    PIRATES. 

HARKAWAY    AT    OXFORD. 

HARKAWAY'S    STRDGGLES. 

HARKAWAY'S    TRIUMPHS. 

HARKAWAY    AMONG    THE    BRIGANDS. 

HARKAWAY'S    CAPTURE. 

HARKAWAY'S    RETURN. 

HARKAWAY    AROUND    THE    WORLD. 

HARKAWAY    IN    AMERICA. 

HARKAWAY'S    PERILS. 

HARKAWAY    IN    CHINA. 

HARKAWAY    AND    THE    RED    DRAGON. 

HARKAWAY    IN    GREECE. 

HARKAWAY'S    PLUCK. 

HARKAWAY'S    RESOLVE. 

HARKAWAY    IN    AUSTRALIA. 

HARKAWAY    AND    THE    BUSHRANGERS. 

HARKAWAY'S    CONFIDENCE. 

HARKAWAY'S    DUEL, 

HARKAWAY'S    BATTLE    WITH    THE    TURKS. 


THE  FEDERAL  BOOK  COMPANY,  New  York. 


Our  Line  of  Copyright  Fiction 

The  List  consists  entirely  of  regular  $1.25  Copyright 
Books.  They  are  all  absorbingly  interesting,  and  are 
written  by  Authors  of  world-wide  reputation. 

Handsomely  Bound  in  Cloth.  Large  12mo.  Size.  Ex- 
quisite Cover  Designs  with  Inlaid  Panel  in  Three  Colors 
on  each  Book. 

Price,  50  Cents  Each,  Postpaid. 


ST.  CLAIR   BEALL. 
Winning  of  Sarenne. 

MARIE   BERNHARD. 
For  My  Own  Sake. 
The  Pearl. 

FRANCES  H.  BURNETT 
Kathleen. 
Lindsay's  Luck. 
Pretty  Polly  Pemberton. 
Theo. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  BISHOP 
Tons  of  Treasure. 

FREDERICK  R.  BURTON. 
Shifting  Sands. 

J.  MACLAREN  COBBAN. 
A  Soldier  and  a  Gentleman. 

"THE    DUCHESS.  =' 
A  Tug  of  War. 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price 
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OUR  LINE  OF  COPYRIGHT  FICTION— Continued 

Bound  In  Cloth.    Price,  60  Cents  £ach,  Postpaldc 


MARY  C.  FRANCIS. 

A  Son  of  Destiny. 

The  Story  ot  Andrew  Jacksoo. 


ROWLAND  GREY. 
The  Power  of  the  Dog. 

HENRY  HARLANDc 
As  It  Was  Written. 
A  Latin-Quarter  Courtship, 
Mrs,  Peixada. 
The  Yoke  of  Thorah. 

FREDERICK  W.  HAYES. 

A  Kent  Squire. 

Gwynett  of  Thornhaugh. 
Both  profusely  Umsitated. 

W.  HEIMBERG. 

Beetzen  Manor. 

Translated  from  the  German  by 
£isie  Latbrop. 


CUTCLIFFE  HYNE. 
Captain  Kettle,  K^  C.  B. 

L.  T.  MEADE. 
Dr.  Ramsey's  Patient. 

F.  FRANKFORT  MOORE. 
I  Forbid  the  Banns. 

W.  E.  NORRIS. 
His  Grace. 

JOHN  OXENHAM. 

Bondman  Free. 

The  remarkable  Adventures  ol a 
Gentleman  Convict. 


EFFIE  ADELAIDE  ROW* 
LANDS. 

For  Love  of  Sigrid. 


ADELINE   SERGEANT. 

The  Surrender  of  Margaret  Befc 
larmine. 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  prioo 
by  the  publishers.  The  Federal  Book  Company,  New  York. 


OUR  LINE  OF  COPYRIGHT  FICTION-Continued 

Bound  in  Cloth.    Prioe,  50  Cents  £acli,  Postpaid. 

ESME   STUART, 
Harum  Scarum. 


FLORENCE  WARDEN. 
Adda's  Ordeal. 
A  Lady  in  Black. 
A  Perfect  Fool. 
A  Sensational  Case. 
A  Terrible  Family. 

GERTRUDE  WARDEN. 
An  Angel  of  Evil. 
A  French  Witch. 
The  Gray  Wolf's  Daughter. 
Our  Widow. 
A  Secret  Foe. 


The  Secret  of  a  Letter. 
A  Waiting  Game. 


E.  WERNER. 
Clear  The  Track. 
Fata  Morgana. 

Translated  from  the  German  by 
Mary  Stuart  Smith. 

PERCY  WHITE. 

The  New  Christians. 

JOHN  STRANGE  WINTER, 
A  Blameless  Woman. 


FLORENCE  HULL  WIN- 
TERBURN. 

Southern  Hearts. 


For  sale  by  ail  booksellers,  or  sent,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price 
by  tho  publishers,  The  Federal  Book  Company,  New  York. 


Horatio  Alger,  Jr.  Series. 

New  Cloth  Edition.  Just  Published.  Very  At- 
tractivw  Cover  Pesign  in  Colors,  with  Inlaid  Panel. 
New  Plates,  Exfra  Cream  Wove  Book  Paper. 
Printed  Wrappers. 

Horatio  A^ger,  Jr  's  works  are  too  well  and  favorably 
Known  to  require  special  mention.  He  has  the  happy  faculty 
of  depicting  boy-life  as  it  really  exists  and  his  stories  are 
full  of  adventure  and  interest. 

86  Titles,  including  several  stories  which  are  not  to  be 
found  in  any  other  list.     All  by  Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

Cloth.    12mo.    Price,  50  Cents  each,  postpaid. 


1.  ADRIFT  IN  NEW  YORK. 

2.  ANDY  GORDON. 

3.  ANDY   GRANT'S   PLUCK. 

4.  BRAVE   AND   BOLD. 

5.  CASH    BOY,  THE 

6.  CHESTER   RAND. 

7.  DEAN   DUNHAM. 

8.  DO   AND    DARE. 

9.  DRIVEN   FROM    HOME. 

10.  ERIE   TRAIN    BOY,  THE 

11.  FACING   THE    WORLD. 

12.  HECTOR'S   INHERITANCE. 

13.  HELPING   HIMSELF. 

14.  HERBERT    CARTER'S    LEG- 

ACY. 

15.  IN   A   NEW    WORLD. 

16.  JACK'S    WARD. 

17.  JED,     THE      POORHOUSE 

BOY. 

18.  JULIUS,  THE  STREET  BOY. 


19.  LUKE   WALTON. 

20.  MAKING   HIS    WAY. 

21.  ONLY   AN   IRISH   BOY. 

22.  PAUL,  THE    PEDDLER. 

23.  PHIL,  THE   FIDDLER. 

24.  RALPH   RAYMOND'S   HEIR. 

25.  RISEN  FROM  THE  RANKS. 
2G.     S^M'S   CHANCE. 

27.  SHIFTING    FOR   HIMSELF. 

28.  SLOW    AND   SURE. 

29.  STORE  BOY,  THE 

30.  STRIVE   AND   SUCCEED 

31.  STRONG   AND   STE.'VDY. 

32.  TOM,  THE   BOOTBLACK. 

33.  TRY   AND   TRUST. 

34.  YOUNG  ACROBAT,  THE 

35.  YOUNG  OUTLAW,  THE 
3G.  YOUNG  SALESMAN,  THE 


THE  FEDERAL  BOOK  COMPANY,  New  York. 


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